Mourne Geology and Archaeology Group

Mourne Geology and Archaeology

The Mourne Geology and Archaeology Group is a small group of academics who have an active interest in the geology, archaeology and upland heritage of the Mourne Mountains, Co. Down, Northern Ireland. We aim to provide quality information about all aspects of the geology of the Mournes to the public through this web site. We have an interest in the conservation of geological and geomorphological sites in Mourne and are very interested in how these are protected. Finally, we have a keen interest in the move towards a National Park in Mourne and possibly a Geopark in the Mournes/Gullion/Cooley area and will be keeping an watchful eye on developments. We hope you enjoy this site and benefit greatly from it.

Navigation:

Introduction
Overview
History of Mapping
Dating The Mournes
Emplacement
E. Mournes
W. Mournes
Minor Instrusions
Sedimentary Rocks
Field Localities

The three dimensional geometry of the granite masses is important to Earth Scientists but unfortunately the extent of vertical exposure often does not allow this to be determined with certainty.

Views on the Mourne granites have changed radically with time from vertical cylinders (intrusions known as ring-dykes) to the most recent model of horizontal sheets with a central upward bulge (laccoliths in geological parlance: Stevenson et al., Journal of the Geological Society of London, in press). These diagrams illustrate the different geometries/emplacement styles employed by different authors for the Mourne granite intrusions.

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