Loch Spelve

Loch Spelve
West end of Loch Spelve, a few hundred yards from the west end of the loch.
Loch Spelve Location of Loch Na Keal within Argyll and Bute
Location	Isle of Mull, Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Coordinates	56.388°N 5.730°W / 56.388; -5.730
Type	Sea loch
Catchment area	76 square kilometres (29 sq mi)
Basin countries	Scotland, United Kingdom
Max. length	7.7 kilometres (4.8 mi)
Surface area	8.93 square kilometres (3.45 sq mi)
Max. depth	58 metres (190 ft)
Islands	Eilean Amalaig and Sgeir na Faoilinn, among others

Loch Spelve is a sea loch on the southeast coast of the Isle of Mull, off the west coast of Scotland. It is almost landlocked with a relatively narrow opening onto the Firth of Lorn. The A849 road runs past the northern arm of the loch and a minor road runs south from it and around the shore of the western arm via Kinlochspelve as far as the settlement of Croggan. Raised beaches are notable features of the loch, particularly on the shores of the narrows through which it enters the open waters of the firth. There are a few rocky islets within the loch, the largest of which is Eilean Amalaig on which are the ruins of a castle.

Geology

There is a terminal moraine at Kinlochspelve dating from the last ice age. The southern and eastern shores of Loch Spelve are formed from basalt lava flows of Palaeogene age, intruded by numerous dolerite dykes. The northern and western shores are formed in granophyres and Triassic sandstones, the latter intruded by olivine-dolerite cone sheets associated with the Palaeogene volcanism. Though unseen at the surface, the Great Glen Fault is usually considered to run beneath this loch and nearby Loch Buie.