Scotland for its small size possesses a more complex geology than anywhere else in the world, consequently the country has a rich mineral legacy. There are around 650 mineral species now known to occur in Scotland; most of these are silicates, but the assemblage also includes oxides, sulphides and sulphates. Most formed by igneous or metamorphic processes. The igneous minerals produced depends on the nature of the intrusion, be it granitoid or basic to ultrabasic, and also on when it formed in the intrusive cycle; i.e., in early magmatic stages or in late-stage veining. Metamorphic minerals are the product of temperature, pressure and the nature of the precursor rock. A few minerals, such as carbonates and iron oxides are of sedimentary origin, and some formed by the addition of material (mostly metal elements) to rocks, a process known as mineralisation. The choice of mineral GCR sites is based on the presence of rare species and/or unusually large concentrations of minerals and/or the provision of good evidence of geological processes. All sites have national significance and the Meall Tairneachan-Creag An Loch Ba–Zn–Pb deposit is of world-class importance. The coverage of the nation’s mineral species is demonstrated by providing a brief description of them which highlights the sites at which they occur. Thus it will be seen that some minerals are predominant at a number of sites: e.g., galena is the main ore mineral at Leadhills-Wanlockhead, Tyndrum and Strontian. Similarly silica, mostly in the form of quartz is present at many sites, but only in its more exotic form such as agate or cairngorm is it the raison d’etre for its choice as a GCR site.

苏格兰面积小，地质条件比世界上任何其他地方都复杂，因此该国拥有丰富的矿产遗产。现在已知苏格兰有大约 650 种矿物。其中大部分是硅酸盐，但组合还包括氧化物、硫化物和硫酸盐。大多数由火成岩或变质过程形成。产生的火成矿物取决于侵入体的性质，是花岗岩或基性到超基性，还取决于它在侵入旋回中形成的时间；IE，在早期岩浆阶段或晚期脉纹中。变质矿物是温度、压力和前驱岩性质的产物。一些矿物，如碳酸盐和氧化铁是沉积成因，有些是通过向岩石中添加物质（主要是金属元素）形成的，这一过程称为矿化。矿物 GCR 地点的选择基于稀有物种的存在和/或异常高浓度的矿物和/或提供地质过程的良好证据。所有遗址都具有国家意义，Meall Tairneachan-Creag An Loch Ba-Zn-Pb 矿床具有世界级的重要性。国家矿产种类的覆盖范围通过提供它们的简要描述来展示，突出它们出现的地点。例如，方铅矿是 Leadhills-Wanlockhead、Tyndrum 和 Strontian 的主要矿石矿物。类似地，二氧化硅，主要以石英的形式存在于许多地点，但只有以更奇特的形式，如玛瑙或凯恩戈姆，它才是选择 GCR 地点的理由。