I worked with BGS on the Ochils gold project in the late 1980s and we
frequently found cinnabar in the pan, especially in Borland Glen where most
of the gold occurred. Small, match-head sized bits were of frequent
occurrence. However, there was no evidence of old alluvial workings here -
a) no obvious grassed-over hummocks and b) the abundance (then!) of coarse
alluvial gold both tending to suggest the area was virgin. In the 15 years
that have followed the report's publication the area has been hammered to
death by prospectors!
Details of this programme are available in:
BGS Mineral Reconnaisance Programme Report no. 116
Gold in the Ochil Hills, Scotland
J S Coats and others (1991)
Cinnabar has also been recorded in the Southern Uplands during BGS work I
believe.
Cheers - John
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