Two huge magma chambers developed in the Glen Nevis area, one in the Mamores and another formed directly beaneath what is now the summit of Ben Nevis. A History… The first recorded ascent of Ben Nevis was made on 17 August 1771 by James Robertson, an Edinburgh botanist, who was in the region to collect botanical specimens. Glen Nevis is a beautiful place and a Geologist’s idea of heaven! The heat and pressure baked the surrounding crustal rocks into schists and domed them up. The mountain was formed when the roof of a huge volcanic caldera collapsed. Volcanic eruptions, in this area, added layers of lavas on top. Remains of these lavas can be seen forming the upper half of Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles. Ben Nevis History. The large rock fragments which cover the ground on the upper part of the mountain are all made of these grey volcanic lavas. Ben Nevis Geography Ben Nevis forms a massif with its neighbour to the north-east, Carn Mòr Dearg (1,223m), to which it is linked by the Carn Mòr Dearg Arête. Snow can be found on the mountain nearly all throughout the year. It is located at the western end of the Grampian Mountains, close to the town of Fort William. Its summit, reaching an elevation of 4,406 feet (1,343 metres), is a plateau of about 100 acres (40 hectares), with a slight slope to the south and a sheer face to the northeast. James Roberston, a botanist from Edinburgh, was the first person to climb to the top of Ben Nevis. Snow lies in some parts all Geologist Noel Williams describes the unusual geology of Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis was formed approximately 350 million years ago when a volcano collapsed.See the related Wikipedia link listed below for more information: These form the Ben Nevis central ring complex (Strachan et al., 2002). Around 400 million years ago, the rocks that form the area around Ben Nevis were part of a chamber of molten rock in the upper layers of earth’s crust. Another early ascent was in 1774 by John Williams, who provided the … Both mountains are among the nine in the UK over 4,000 feet (1,200 m), as are Aonach Mòr and Aonach Beag (1,234m) immediately to the east; the other five are all in the Cairngorms. Ben Nevis is all that’s left of an ancient volcano. Ben Nevis, highest mountain of the British Isles, in the Highland council area, Scotland. Ben Nevis, in the Western Highlands, is Britain’s highest mountain. how was ben nevis formed like fault or fold Roger Federer Beats Andy Murray to Win 2008 US Open Final. He did this on 17th August 1771. This, and many other Scottish peaks, are made of granite, a rock that resists erosion well. Ben Nevis Visitor Centre » Geology of the Glen. 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