Field Camp in Ireland- International Studies
Jessica Davey, SA-4424
This past June, I attended the Burren Geology Field School along with two of my fellow classmates from Metropolitan State University of Denver. The Burren Geology Field School is run through the Caherconnell Stone Fort, a world-class archaeological site, and is led by instructors from the National University of Ireland-Galway along with local geologists. The field course focused on the Burren Region of Ireland, which makes up most of County Clare in the southwestern region of the country.
Our class included six people from the United States and one from Newfoundland. For the duration of the course, we lived in a hostel in the very quaint village of Kilfenora and were able to enjoy the local culture. From Kilfenora, we set out each day for lecture and fieldwork. I was entirely in awe of the geological history and of what is now exposed in Ireland. The Burren is primarily Carboniferous in age; along with the shales and limestones predominant in the landscape, there were incredible effects of past glaciation and evidence of dynamic hydrogeology.
During the two and a half week course we were immersed in the study of turbidity currents, cyclothems, karst topography, turloughs and cave systems, paleontology, and glacial and coastal erosion; there was so much to see and learn about in the Burren. Here are a few highlights from the course:
Day 5 started out as a drizzly morning; our first stop of the day was the Bridges of Ross area. The Ross Sandstone consists of turbidites that are beautifully exposed as an antiform in this photo. These turbidites are alternating layers of sandy mudstone and muddy sandstone and contain areas of rip-up clasts, slumps, load casts, sand volcanoes, and tool marks.
Figrue. Cliffs of Moher
of Moher represent the Tullig and Kilkee Cyclothems, which have been tied to Milankovitch cycles using Goniatites and ash beds. Four completely exposed cyclothems lined with caves and sea stacks are visible above the Atlantic in this view.
Day 14 was another amazingly beautiful day (we were so lucky to have sunny weather during our time in Ireland). The day was spent studying at the Burren National Park in Mullaghmore. One of the tasks for the course was to create a walking guide for this breathtaking park. This photo is look- ing to the northeast from the highest point within the park of terraced limestones that make up the Ailwee Formation, which hosts many of the underground cave networks through- out the region.
Figure 3. Mullaghmore Figure 1. Bridges of Ross
Day 8 was such a beautiful sunny day, rare for Ireland. Our fieldwork ended at the Cliffs of Moher (or better known as the Cliffs of Insanity for us Princess Bride Fans). The Cliffs
The Burren Geology Field School was an incredible experi- ence. Coming from Colorado, the geology of Ireland was unlike anything I had experienced before. Being tested in a foreign country, with geology completely different from what I had grown accustomed to studying, and applying the skills I have learned during my undergraduate experience allowed me to expand my geological field skills. I also came away feeling much more confident in my understanding of geological set- tings and processes.
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