Sule Stack

Sule Stack or Stack Skerry is an extremely remote island or stack in the North Atlantic off the north coast of Scotland. It is formed of Lewisian gneiss.[5]

Sule Stack
Meaning of nameGannet Stack, from sùlaire (Scottish Gaelic for northern gannet), and Stack (originally Norse) Norse[1]
Location
Sule Stack
Sule Stack shown within Scotland
OS grid referenceHX561179
Coordinates59.02°N 4.51°W / 59.02; -4.51
Physical geography
Island groupNorth Atlantic
Area2.9 ha (7.2 acres)
Highest elevation36 m (118 ft)
Administration
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryScotland
Council areaOrkney
Demographics
Population0
References[2][3][4]

Sule Stack lies 49 kilometres (30 miles) north of the Scottish mainland, and 66 km (41 mi) west of the Orkney mainland, at grid reference HX561179. Sule Stack's sole neighbour, Sule Skerry, lies 10 km (6 mi) to the northeast and the remote islands of Rona and Sula Sgeir lie further to the west. Sule Stack and Sule Skerry are home to thousands of gannets and as a result are listed as a special protection area; the island falls within the administrative region of the Orkney Islands.

From the west, Sule Stack appears like a double rock

Bird species nesting on the stack include:[6]

See also

References

  1. Stewart 1938, p. 283.
  2. NRS 2013.
  3. Haswell-Smith 2004.
  4. Orkney (Mainland) 2014.
  5. Kirton & Hitchen 1987.
  6. EEA n.d.

Sources

  • Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
  • Kirton, S.R.; Hitchen, K. (1987). "Timing and style of crustal extension N of the Scottish mainland". In Coward, M.P.; Dewey, J.F.; Hancock, P.L. (eds.). Continental Extensional Tectonics. Special Publications. 28. London: Geological Society. pp. 501–510. ISBN 978-0-632-01605-1.
  • National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013) (pdf) Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland - Release 1C (Part Two). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland’s inhabited islands". Retrieved 17 August 2013.


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