The Paps of Jura, for instance, rise out of a long belt of quartzite which stretches through the islands of Islay, Jura and Scarba.
A chain of hills culminating in the Paps of Jura - Beinn-an-Oir (2571 ft.) and Beinn Chaolais (2407 ft.) - runs the whole length of the island, interrupted only by Tarbert loch, an arm of the sea, which forms an indentation nearly 6 m.
The topography of the island is dominated by the paps; conical shaped mountains rising to over 2500 feet.