Hanging Rock, County Fermanagh

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Hanging Rock is a large limestone cliff with an obtuse angle. It is located beside the village of Florencecourt in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, and is part of the Cuilcagh mountain region. The cliff is situated in an area dedicated The Hanging Rock Nature Reserve, which is in turn part of the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark. [1]

Cliff A vertical, or near vertical, rock face of substantial height

In geography and geology, a cliff is a vertical, or nearly vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms by the processes of weathering and erosion. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually formed by rock that is resistant to weathering and erosion. Sedimentary rocks most likely to form cliffs include sandstone, limestone, chalk, and dolomite. Igneous rocks such as granite and basalt also often form cliffs.

Florencecourt village in the United Kingdom

Florencecourt is a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 135 people. It is situated within Fermanagh and Omagh district. Historically the area was called "Mullanashangan".

County Fermanagh Place in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

County Fermanagh is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km² and has a population of 61,805 as of 2011. Enniskillen is the county town and largest in both size and population.

Contents

History

Hanging Rock has long been a notable landmark in the area. Referring to the rock as "Gortatowell Rock" (referencing the townland of today's Gortatole), in his publication "Upper Lough Erne", 1739, Reverend William Henry wrote:

"Just under the brow of the cliff... lies the great new road leading towards Sligo. It is usual for passengers to stop here and admire the awful [sic] majesty of the cliff hanging over them, and the huge lumps of rock that have tumbled down from it, and to entertain themselves with the extraordinary echo frequently reverberated between the lake below and the hollowness of the cliff." [2]

Geology and hydrology

The cliff is formed chiefly from limestone, specifically Dartry overlaying Glencar formation. The point where the two formations join is visible at the base of the cliff. [3]

Limestone Sedimentary rocks made of calcium carbonate

Limestone is a carbonate sedimentary rock that is often composed of the skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral, foraminifera, and molluscs. Its major materials are the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). A closely related rock is dolomite, which contains a high percentage of the mineral dolomite, CaMg(CO3)2. In old USGS publications, dolomite was referred to as magnesian limestone, a term now reserved for magnesium-deficient dolomites or magnesium-rich limestones.

Two stream risings lay at the base of the cliff, known as the Hanging Rock Risings. One of the risings is constantly active, while the other dries up during times of low rainfall. [4] The risings are traced to only one source, Legacapple on the Marlbank above, [5] but the water is believed to combine from a number of other sources. [4]

Flora and fauna

The Hanging Rock Nature Reserve at the base of the cliff consists of damp ash woodland, an endangered woodland system within Ireland and the United Kingdom. [1]

Ireland Island in north-west Europe, 20th largest in world, politically divided into the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (a part of the UK)

Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth.

United Kingdom Country in Europe

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a sovereign country located off the north-western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state, the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea separates Great Britain and Ireland. The United Kingdom's 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi) were home to an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017.

Historically, the cliff was home to eagles, hawks and jackdaws. [2]

Eagle large carnivore bird

Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, not all of which are closely related. Most of the 60 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just 14 species can be found—2 in North America, 9 in Central and South America, and 3 in Australia.

Hawk group of diurnal birds of prey

Hawks are a group of medium-sized diurnal birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Hawks are widely distributed and vary greatly in size.

Salter's Stone

A large boulder sits prominently by the roadside, having fallen from the cliff at some time in the past. It lies on the original road from Florencecourt to Blacklion and local folklore states that it landed on top of a wandering salt merchant who was travelling along the road at the time. It is said that whenever the rock was found the next day that there was a ring of salt surrounding it. The rock became known as the Salter's Stone, or Cloghogue. [1]

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The Cliffs of Magho are a 9-kilometre-long (5.6 mi) limestone escarpment located in the townland of Magho, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The NNW-facing cliffs overlook the western reaches of Lower Lough Erne and define the northern edge of Lough Navar Forest, a major plantation managed by the Forest Service of Northern Ireland. A popular viewpoint atop the cliffs is accessed by a forest drive.

Not to be confused with former rock and roll group, The Tyrones.

The Leitrim Group is a lithostratigraphical term coined to refer to the succession of rock strata which occur in Northern Ireland within the Visean and Namurian stages of the Carboniferous Period. The group disconformably overlies the Dartry Limestone of the Tyrone Group.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Hanging Rock and Rossaa Forest Nature Reserve". doeni.gov.uk. Northern Ireland Environment Agency. 5 February 2010. Archived from the original on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  2. 1 2 Henry, Rev. William (1892). King, Sir Charles S (ed.). Upper Lough Erne (PDF). Dublin: William McGee. pp. 51–52.
  3. ↑ "Carboniferous Subarea–1; Derrygonnelly–Marble Arch–Cuilcagh". Earth Science Conservation Review . National Museums Northern Ireland . Retrieved 2010-10-05.External link in |work= (help)
  4. 1 2 "Marlbank–Cuilcagh Mountain Region; Western Marlbank". Earth Science Conservation Review . National Museums Northern Ireland . Retrieved 2010-10-05.External link in |work= (help)
  5. ↑ Gunn, John (1982). "Water tracing in Ireland: A review with special reference to the Cuilcagh karst". Irish Geography. 15 (1): 94–106. doi:10.1080/00750778209478889.

Coordinates: 54°15′25″N7°42′14″W / 54.257°N 7.704°W / 54.257; -7.704


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