Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark

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Clifftop pathway at the Cliffs of Magho, above Lower Lough Erne. Clifftop path at the Cliffs of Magho - geograph.org.uk - 1392627.jpg
Clifftop pathway at the Cliffs of Magho, above Lower Lough Erne.

The Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark formerly known as the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark [1] straddles the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It is centred on the Marble Arch Caves and in 2001 it became one of the first geoparks to be designated in Europe.

Contents

The Geopark features various sites which demonstrate the geological and wider natural heritage of the area, as well as the cultural heritage relating to 7,000–8,000 years of recorded human occupation since the last ice age. [2] It is jointly managed by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and Cavan County Council. [3]

Geography

The Geopark consists of over 30 discrete areas of land, largely in public ownership across County Fermanagh and neighbouring parts of County Cavan between Pettigo and Belleek in the north and west and the town of Cavan in the southeast. Most extensive of these are the Cuilcagh Mountain Park, along with the forests of Ballintempo, Belmore, Tullychurry, Lough Navar, Conagher and Big Dog, each of which are managed by the Forest Service Northern Ireland.

Cuilcagh Mountain, with Upper Lough Macnean in the foreground. Cuilcagh Mountain with Lough Macnean Upper in foreground - geograph.org.uk - 65057.jpg
Cuilcagh Mountain, with Upper Lough Macnean in the foreground.

A number of national nature reserves and other natural and historic sites and viewpoints also fall within the designated area, the distribution of which has been likened to an archipelago. There are particular concentrations of geopark sites around both Lower Lough Erne and south of Belcoo.

The Breifne Mountains straddle the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, a few miles southwest of Enniskillen. Cuilcagh itself attains a height of 666 metres (2,185 ft). The Sruh Croppa, Owenbrean and Aghinrawn rivers flowing on the northern flanks of Cuilcagh Mountain sink underground on reaching the limestone outcrop, combining underground to form the Cladagh River which emerges at a natural rock bridge known as the Marble Arch. [4]

Much of the rest of the Geopark comprises parts of the range of hills stretching between Belmore Mountain, which peaks at 401 metres (1,316 ft), and the Cliffs of Magho overlooking the western reaches of Lower Lough Erne. [5] [6] [7]

Geology

The Geopark is almost wholly formed in sedimentary bedrock dating from the Carboniferous Period. These are a suite of faulted and gently folded sandstones, mudstones and limestones assigned to the Visean and Namurian stages of the period. There are however a few areas where older rocks are to be found. The larger part of the Geopark is covered by thick glacial deposits which obscure the bedrock geology across much of the lower ground.

Pre-Carboniferous strata

The oldest rocks within the Geopark are quartzo-feldspathic gneisses found to the northwest of Lower Lough Erne. They originated as marine sandstones and were metamorphosed during the Caledonian Orogeny. Further east around Tappaghan Mountain and Lack are a suite of schists, phyllites and marble ascribed to the Dalradian Supergroup.

Greywackes, shales, sandstones and conglomerates of Ordovician age are found around the margins of the southern extent of the Geopark at Cavan and Butlers Bridge and between Lismoren and Killashandra. This outcrop is intruded by the Crossdoney granite emplaced during the Silurian period. Also of Silurian age is a small outcrop of turbidites at Lisbellaw. An area around Lisnarick and Irvinestown is underlain by Old Red Sandstone; these early Devonian age sandstones, mudstones and siltstones extend to the shores of Lower Lough Erne though, as elsewhere across the lower lying ground of the area, are largely obscured by much younger superficial deposits. [8]

Carboniferous strata

The Carboniferous strata consists of numerous recognised formations which are assembled into an underlying (older) Tyrone Group and an overlying (therefore younger) Leitrim Group. The Marble Arch Caves are developed in the Asbian-age Glencar Limestone Formation and the Knockmore Limestone Member of the overlying Dartry Limestone Formation. Cuilcagh Mountain and the hills to its northwest are largely made up of rocks of the Asbian/Brigantian age Glenade Sandstone Formation, the Brigantian/Pendleian-age Dergvone and Carraun Shale Formations, the Pendleian-age Briscloonagh Sandstone Formation and the Arnsbergian-age Bencroy Shale, Lackagh Sandstone and Gowlaun Shale Formations.

Palaeogene intrusions

Many of these formations are heavily faulted. Those at Cuilcagh are intruded by the WNW–SSE-oriented Cuilcagh Dyke – one of several Palaeogene age vertical intrusions of dolerite in the area whilst a dolerite sill intrudes into the area to the west of Conagher Forest.

Quaternary

The limestone formations have given rise to Northern Ireland's finest karst landscape. The caves themselves are of unknown age but date back in part over 380,000 years.

The area was subject to repeated glaciation during the Quaternary period. The most recent ice age, the Midlandian or Devensian, has left a spread of glacial erratics across the landscape. [9] Erratics at Cavan Burren Park feature in an interpretive trail at this locality. The larger part of the Geopark is covered by a huge swarm of drumlins, the alignment of which reflect the passage of ice broadly from east to west though in a southerly direction south of Upper Lough Erne. They formed under an icesheet in excess of 1000m thick at the height of the ice age. The distinctive landscape of Upper Lough Erne and the southern stretch of Lower Lough Erne results from the partial drowning of numerous drumlins in the post-glacial period.

Protected areas

There are several national nature reserves within the Geopark, including those of Correl Glen, Hanging Rock, Cladagh Glen and Killykeegan. Some of the blanket bog on Cuilcagh Mountain is protected as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the European Union's Habitats Directive and as a Ramsar site designated under the Ramsar Convention. [10]

Blanket bog near Florencecourt, on the foothills of Cuilcagh mountain. Mountainside at Florencecourt - geograph.org.uk - 1453614.jpg
Blanket bog near Florencecourt, on the foothills of Cuilcagh mountain.

Principal attractions

History

The Marble Arch Caves were first explored in 1895 by the French speleologist Édouard-Alfred Martel together with naturalist Lyster Jameson. [11] During the following 70 years, members of the Yorkshire Ramblers' Club and other speleological organisations made further explorations of the system. [4] Fermanagh District Council began to consider developing a show cave at the site and they eventually opened them to the public in 1985. The nearby Cuilcagh Mountain Park was opened in 1998. [12]

The two areas became one of the first European geoparks in 2001 [12] and gained the status of global geopark in 2004 following the Madonie Agreement between UNESCO and the European Geoparks Network. [13] In 2007 the geopark was extended to cover many thousands of hectares of afforested upland to the north west of Cuilcagh Mountain, and in September 2008 it became the world's first transnational geopark in the European and Global Geoparks Networks as it was extended across the international border into County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland. [14]

Events

The Geopark promotes walks and events of various sorts to interpret its attractions both to local people and visitors. These include a celebration of European Geoparks Week which takes place at the end of May – start of June, coinciding with similar events in geoparks across Europe.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Fermanagh</span> County in Northern Ireland

County Fermanagh is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of six counties of Northern Ireland

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Cavan</span> County in Ireland

County Cavan is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the historic Gaelic territory of East Breffny (Bréifne). Cavan County Council is the local authority for the county, which had a population of 81,704 at the 2022 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuilcagh</span> Mountain in Cavan/Fermanagh, Republic of Ireland/Northern Ireland

Cuilcagh is a mountain on the border between County Fermanagh and County Cavan. With a height of 666 metres (2,185 ft) it is the highest point in both counties. It is also the 170th highest peak on the island of Ireland, and Ireland's only cross-border county top. Water from the southern slope flows underground until it emerges some miles away in the Shannon Pot, the traditional source of the River Shannon. The area is sometimes referred to as the Cuilcagh Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boho, County Fermanagh</span> Human settlement in Northern Ireland

Boho is a hamlet and a civil parish 11 kilometres (7 mi) covering approximately 12 km × 7 km southwest of Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is situated within Fermanagh and Omagh district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blacklion</span> Village in County Cavan, Ireland

Blacklion is a border village in west County Cavan, Ireland. It is situated on the N16 national primary road, just across the border from the County Fermanagh village of Belcoo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marble Arch Caves</span> Limestone caves in Northern Ireland

The Marble Arch Caves are a series of natural limestone caves located near the village of Florencecourt in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The caves are named after the nearby Marble Arch, a natural limestone arch at the upstream end of Cladagh Glen under which the Cladagh River flows. The caves are formed from three rivers draining off the northern slopes of Cuilcagh mountain, which combine underground to form the Cladagh. On the surface, the river emerges from the largest karst resurgence in Ireland, and one of the largest in the United Kingdom. At 11.5 kilometres (7.1 mi) the Marble Arch Caves form the longest known cave system in Northern Ireland, and the karst is considered to be among the finest in the British Isles.

The Owenbrean River, is a small river in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland which flows down from Cuilcagh Mountain before sinking underground, eventually reaching the Marble Arch Cave system.

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.

Claddagh may refer to several things associated with the island of Ireland:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lough Oughter</span> Lake in County Cavan, Ireland

Lough Oughter is a lake, or complex of lakes, in County Cavan covering more than 8,900 hectares. The complex of lakes lies on the River Erne, and forms the southern part of the Lough Erne complex. The lakes are bounded roughly by Belturbet in the north, Cavan town to the east, Crossdoney to the south and Killeshandra to the west.

The Cladagh River, Claddagh or Swanlinbar River, is a moderately large river which forms from a number of small streams rising in Commas townland on the south-eastern slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain, County Cavan, and flows through the village of Swanlinbar, before crossing the border into County Fermanagh and eventually flowing into Upper Lough Erne. It is ultra-oligotrophic upstream before gradually becoming oligotrophic and oligo-mesotrophic through its middle and lower reaches.

Badger Pot and Pigeon Pot are two caves found in the Karst topography on the eastern slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain, south of Florencecourt Forest Park, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Cladagh</span> River in Northern Ireland, part of the Erne system

The Cladagh River is a small river in County Fermanagh, formed from three rivers and a number of streams draining off the northern slopes of Cuilcagh mountain, which combine underground in the Marble Arch Cave system. On the surface, the River Cladagh emerges from one of the largest karst resurgences in the UK, before flowing through Cladagh Glen Nature Reserve and eventually draining into the Arney River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boho Caves</span>

The Boho Caves are a collection of caves centred on the village of Boho, County Fermanagh on the northern slopes of Belmore Mountain. They encompass the main Boho Cave and the smaller Waterfall Cave and Upper and Lower Ravine Caves. The Boho Cave system is the sixth-longest cave system in Northern Ireland, is designated an Area of Special Scientific Interest and is the only example of joint-controlled caves in Northern Ireland.

Knockmore is an upland area and townland situated in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland outside the village of Derrygonnelly, in the historical barony of Magheraboy. This area, together with the adjacent Barrs of Boho and most of the uplands in Boho parish, are described as the Knockmore Scarplands. The focal point of the area is Knockmore summit at 277 metres (909 ft).

The Caves of the Tullybrack and Belmore hills are a collection of caves in southwest County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The region is also described as the West Fermanagh Scarplands by environmental agencies and shares many similar karst features with the nearby Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliffs of Magho</span>

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.

The Tyrone Group is a lithostratigraphical term coined to refer to a particular succession of rock strata which occur in Northern Ireland within the Visean Stage of the Carboniferous Period. It comprises a series of limestones, shales and sandstones which accumulated to a thickness of 2400m in the northwest Carboniferous basin of Ireland. The type areas for the group are the Clogher Valley of County Tyrone and the Fermanagh Highlands of nearby County Fermanagh. The rocks of the group sit unconformably on older rocks of the Shanmullagh Formation of the Fintona Group which are the local representatives of the Lower Old Red Sandstone. The top of the Dartry Limestone, the uppermost part of the group, is a disconformity, above which are the layered sandstones and shales of the Meenymore Formation of the Leitrim Group. The succession continues south and west across the border into the Republic of Ireland, though different names are typically applied.

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. ↑ "History & Folklore". Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  2. ↑ "Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark" . Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  3. ↑ "Home- Marble Arch". Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  4. 1 2 Jones, Gareth Ll.; Burns, Gaby; Fogg, Tim; Kelly, John (1997). The Caves of Fermanagh and Cavan (2nd ed.). Lough Nilly Press. pp. 79–84. ISBN   0-9531602-0-3.
  5. ↑ Discoverer 17 (Map) (2003 ed.). Ordnance Survey Northern Ireland (OSNI).
  6. ↑ Discoverer 26 (Map) (2003 ed.). Ordnance Survey Northern Ireland (OSNI).
  7. ↑ European Geoparks published in 2008 by Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest
  8. ↑ Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark; Exploring the landscape of Fermanagh and Cavan (map), 2015 GSNI ISBN   9780751837933
  9. ↑ Geological Map of Northern Ireland, 1:250K solid (Map) (1999 ed.). Geological Survey of Northern Ireland.
  10. ↑ "Designated and Proposed Ramsar sites in Northern Ireland" (PDF). Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  11. ↑ Martel, É.-A. (1897). "British Caves and Speleology". The Geographical Journal . X (5): 500–511. doi:10.2307/1774383. JSTOR   1774383 . Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  12. 1 2 "Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark – Ireland". European Geoparks Network . Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  13. ↑ "The Organisation – Introduction". European Geoparks Network . Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  14. ↑ "Geopark News: The World's First International Geopark!". Fermanagh District Council. 2008. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2009.

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