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Geology of Ireland A Field Guide

Book · January 2013

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Geology of Ireland –A Field Guide
by
Pat MEERE, Ivor MacCARTHY, John REAVY, Alistair ALLEN & Ken HIGGS.
2013
Published by The Collins Press. 372pp.

Ireland has a rich and varied geological history that extends back over 2 billion years.
All the major rock types, igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic, are represented in a
wide variety of geological settings, making this island ideal for field studies in Earth
Science.

The quality and availability of this valuable geological heritage were recognised by
the early pioneers of geological science with the consequence that a number of the
key concepts in geology were originally developed and tested in Ireland. The science
of geology is very much rooted in field studies. Despite the increasing use of
laboratory-based techniques in recent decades, such as computer modelling of
remotely sensed satellite data, to tackle important geoscience research questions, field
studies are ultimately required to validate these models. As practising field geologists,
we are especially aware of the fundamental role field geology has to play in the on-
going development of our science, whether it is in the education of the next
generation of geologists and earth scientists or pushing back the boundaries of our
knowledge on how this and other planets function.

Studying geology in the field is a wonderful example of integrated learning whereby

the geologist blends knowledge and skills from a wide number of sub-disciplines to
tackle questions that are often, by their very nature, multidisciplinary in scope. This
can often be a very intellectually exciting and rewarding experience that will draw
anybody with a curiosity about how our planet works back into the field time and time
again. These ideas form the basic philosophy underlying the publication of this book.

The book is organised into two parts.

Part 1 – Introduction contains a brief discussion which deals with the broad
principles of geology. It describes the various minerals, rock types and structures and
explains how these can be used to interpret past geological processes in Earth history.

Part 2 – A Field Guide is the main focus of the book. It describes the geological
features and their interpretations in seventeen selected field areas. The field areas,
located for the most part along Ireland’s coastal belt, present superb cross sections of
some of Ireland’s geology.

The text for each field area contains important information on the Logistics involved,
the field Directions and Supporting Material such as references to maps and reading
material.

This is followed by a Description and Interpretation of the various rock types and
geological features present. Important information is also contained in the Glossary
and Appendices at the end of the book. The latter deal with Field Safety, the Country
Code and Stratigraphical Terminology, which are important aspects of any field-
based study. Terms in the text in italics are defined in the Glossary.
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