Is edinburgh castle built on top of a extinct volcano?
Edinburgh Castle is simply magnificent. It occupies the summit of an ancient plug of volcanic rock towering 260ft or 80m above the city it dominates, and is visible for tens of miles in every direction. No fairytale castle, this is the real thing, an uncompromisingly defensive structure that seems to grow organically out of the living rock beneath it. Over the centuries Edinburgh Castle has been continuously adapted to meet the military needs of the day. And over the centuries its strength has been tested on no fewer than thirteen occasions, successfully or unsuccessfully, by siege or by stealth. Edinburgh Castle is a large and complex structure. On this page you find the story of the castle from ancient times until today. The Edinburgh Castle: Lower Castle page looks in more detail at the Lower and Middle Wards of the castle; and the Edinburgh Castle: Upper Castle page covers highlights of the Upper Ward and Crown Square. Prices and opening hours for Edinburgh Castle are set out on th
Yes it is. And it faces another extinct volcano called “Arthur’s Seat”. Technically, Castle Rock was formed when magma rose in the neck of a volcano without actually erupting, without spilling onto the surface. The magma hardened into rock underground, but proved to be harder than the surrounding rock and soil, which eroded away. Another famous rock which formed that way can be found in New Mexico, near the corner where four states meet. Most maps call it Shiprock, and a nearby town is named for it. It’s on land administered by the Navajo or Diné Nation, and they call it “Tsé Bit’ A’í”, which means “Rock with Wings”. The wings are rock walls or dikes which were formed by magma flowing into cracks in the ground. Devil’s Tower in Wyoming is another example of a “volcanic neck”. The last link below takes you to a slideshow from the National Park Service that shows how Devils Tower was formed.
