Lairg Asteroid
A big thank you to everyone involved in the preparation and the opening event of the Lairg Asteroid exhibition, to Dr Mike Simms, without who we still wouldn't know what lies beneath our feet, to Eilidh Price for wonderful artwork on the panels, banners, posters etc., to Emma Armstrong and Lairg Primary School children who prepared the fantastic colourful boards outside, to Lairg Gala committee for providing the bouncy castle, to High Life Highland for hosting the display, to Laura Hamlet from the NW Highland Geopark for bringing the bits of the impact deposit back home to Lairg after 1.2 billion years and to our MP, Dr Paul Monaghan who officially opened the exhibition, but most importantly to everyone who came to the Ferrycroft on Friday night to celebrate this special occasion.
Hopefully the exhibition will continue to impress visitors throughout the summer months.
Some pictures from the opening night:
As many will know from the Channel 4 programme Walking Through Time, the exhibition is based on the work of Dr Michael Simms of the National Museums Northern Ireland who identified the presence of the Lairg Gravity Low indicating the likely presence of an asteroid impact crater deep beneath Lairg, a theory subsequently supported by evidence impact deposit found 50 km to the west along the north-west Sutherland coastline.
This has been a real community effort with the Primary School kids playing a significant part with the creation of their own outdoor displays. We have had a very useful contribution from the Geopark also. The project has been made possible with funding from Lairg Windfarm Ltd Community Fund and E.ON Rosehall Community Fund, both supported by Foundation Scotland, as well as the Curry Fund (Geologists Association Fund).
The exhibition which will run throughout the summer months promises to be a highly informative experience for children and adults alike.
Dr Simms will be present on Friday to introduce his findings and the exhibition will be formally opened by Dr Paul Monaghan MP.