Berneray Beach
‘A key feature of Berneray is its machair, an area of land which edges the shoreline. Machair becomes fertile over time by crushed shells and other minerals. This land was once sea bed, but through geological processes, it has been elevated from the sea bed and dried. Sand dunes formed as grasses grew, able to take root because the crushed seashells offer the nutrients needed for plant life. Once grasses grew, a cultivatable environment was established, becoming lush pasture land.’ This extract is from Panoramic Earth – well worth seeing for its image.