Orkney Smr Note
Date March 1984
Event ID 619329
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Orkney Smr Note
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/619329
The gale of February 1984 did great damage all along the
shoreline below and to E of Maltlbarn. The sea has scoured out
the red clay underlying the archaeological deposits leaving a
near-vertical bare face beneath the massive stonework, which
itself however seems to have escaped damage. Some 10m extended E
from the main wall, the grass has slumped down and on falling,
will expose more stonework which can be glimpsed behind it. A
further 10m E beyond this length, the turf has been completely
removed, exposing, immediately below clifftop turf level, 0.6m of
shell and animal bone midden overlying 0.6m of soft sand, below
which is an 0.2m thick buried soil above the natural clay.
Further E still, the banks are much undercut, but turf has
slumped down, concealing deposits. - This face has receded some
2m since the above record (Oct 81) was made.
Information from Orkney SMR (RGL) Mar 84.