Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark
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The Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark formerly known as the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark straddles the border between
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
and the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
. It is centred on the
Marble Arch Caves 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 Natural arch, arch at the upstr ...
and in 2001 it became one of the first
geopark A geopark is a protected area with internationally significant geology within which Sustainability, sustainable development is sought and which includes tourism, conservation, education and research concerning not just geology but other relevant s ...
s to be designated in Europe. 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. It is jointly managed by
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Fermanagh and Omagh District Council (; Ulster-Scots: ''Districk Cooncil o Fermanagh an Omey'') is a local authority in Northern Ireland and was established on 1 April 2015. It replaced Fermanagh District Council and Omagh District Council an ...
and
Cavan County Council Cavan County Council () is the authority responsible for local government in County Cavan, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transporta ...
.


Geography

The Geopark consists of over 30 discrete areas of land, largely in public ownership across
County Fermanagh 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. The county covers an area of and had a population of 63,585 as of 2021. Enniskillen is the ...
and neighbouring parts of
County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, 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 hi ...
between Pettigo and Belleek in the north and west and the town of
Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road (Ireland), N3 road that links Dublin ( ...
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 The Forest Service Northern Ireland is an executive agency of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs entrusted with the development of forestry and the management of forests in Northern Ireland. It was created on 1 April 19 ...
. 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 An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...
. There are particular concentrations of geopark sites around both Lower Lough Erne and south of
Belcoo Belcoo ( ()Flanagan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 172. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. is a small village and townland in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, from Enniskillen. It is on the County Fermanagh/County Cavan border besid ...
. The Breifne Mountains straddle the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, a few miles southwest of
Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 14,086 at the 2011 censu ...
. Cuilcagh itself attains a height of . 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. Much of the rest of the Geopark comprises parts of the range of hills stretching between Belmore Mountain, which peaks at , and the
Cliffs of Magho The Cliffs of Magho are a 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, ...
overlooking the western reaches of Lower Lough Erne.


Geology

The Geopark is almost wholly formed in sedimentary bedrock dating from the
Carboniferous Period The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era that spans 60 million years, from the end of the Devonian Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Permian Period, Ma. It is the fifth and penultimate perio ...
. These are a suite of faulted and gently folded
sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
s,
mudstone Mudstone, a type of mudrock, is a fine-grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Mudstone is distinguished from ''shale'' by its lack of fissility.Blatt, H., and R.J. Tracy, 1996, ''Petrology.'' New York, New York, ...
s and
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
s 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
gneiss Gneiss (pronounced ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. This rock is formed under p ...
es found to the northwest of Lower Lough Erne. They originated as marine sandstones and were
metamorphosed Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, causi ...
during the
Caledonian Orogeny The Caledonian orogeny was a mountain-building cycle recorded in the northern parts of the British Isles, the Scandinavian Caledonides, Svalbard, eastern Greenland and parts of north-central Europe. The Caledonian orogeny encompasses events tha ...
. Further east around Tappaghan Mountain and Lack are a suite of
schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...
s,
phyllite Phyllite ( ) is a type of foliation (geology), foliated metamorphic rock formed from slate that is further metamorphosed so that very fine grained white mica achieves a preferred orientation.Stephen Marshak ''Essentials of Geology'', 3rd ed. I ...
s and
marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...
ascribed to the Dalradian Supergroup.
Greywacke Greywacke or graywacke ( ) is a variety of sandstone generally characterized by its hardness (6–7 on Mohs scale), dark color, and Sorting (sediment), poorly sorted angular grains of quartz, feldspar, and small rock fragments or sand-size Lith ...
s,
shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of Clay mineral, clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g., Kaolinite, kaolin, aluminium, Al2Silicon, Si2Oxygen, O5(hydroxide, OH)4) and tiny f ...
s, sandstones and conglomerates of
Ordovician The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and System (geology), system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era (geology), Era, and the second of twelve periods of the Phanerozoic Eon (geology), Eon. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years f ...
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 Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
emplaced during the Silurian period. Also of Silurian age is a small outcrop of
turbidite A turbidite is the geologic Deposition (geology), deposit of a turbidity current, which is a type of amalgamation of fluidal and sediment gravity flow responsible for distributing vast amounts of clastic sediment into the deep ocean. Sequencing ...
s at
Lisbellaw Lisbellaw () is a village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, about east of Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, betwee ...
. An area around Lisnarick and
Irvinestown Irvinestown is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. At the 2021 census it had a population of 2,325 people. The most notable buildings are Necarne Castle, formerly known as Castle Irvine, and Castle Archdale. Irvinestown is situated ...
is underlain by
Old Red Sandstone Old Red Sandstone, abbreviated ORS, is an assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region largely of Devonian age. It extends in the east across Great Britain, Ireland and Norway, and in the west along the eastern seaboard of North America. It ...
; these early
Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a period (geology), geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era during the Phanerozoic eon (geology), eon, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the preceding Silurian per ...
age sandstones, mudstones and
siltstone Siltstone, also known as aleurolite, is a clastic sedimentary rock that is composed mostly of silt. It is a form of mudrock with a low clay mineral content, which can be distinguished from shale by its lack of fissility. Although its permeabil ...
s 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.


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 Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of Clay mineral, clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g., Kaolinite, kaolin, aluminium, Al2Silicon, Si2Oxygen, O5(hydroxide, OH)4) and tiny f ...
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 The Paleogene Period ( ; also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene) is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Neogene Period Ma. It is the fir ...
age vertical intrusions of
dolerite Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-grain ...
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 Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...
landscape. The caves themselves are of unknown age but date back in part over 380,000 years. The area was subject to repeated
glaciation A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate be ...
during the
Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...
period. The most recent ice age, the Midlandian or Devensian, has left a spread of
glacial erratics A glacial erratic is a glacially deposited rock (geology), rock differing from the type of country rock (geology), rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by gla ...
across the landscape. 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
drumlin A drumlin, from the Irish word ("little ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or groun ...
s, 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 A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...
(SAC) under the European Union's
Habitats Directive The Habitats Directive (more formally known as Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) is a directive adopted by the European Community in 1992 as a response to the Berne Convention. The ...
and as a Ramsar site designated under the
Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar site, Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on We ...
.


Principal attractions

* Marble Arch Caves are a major draw for visitors in Northern Ireland and these
show cave A show cave—also called tourist cave, public cave, and, in the United States, commercial cave—is a cave which has been made accessible to the public for guided visits. Definition A show cave is a cave that has been made accessible to ...
s exhibit a wide range of classic cave features which are enjoyed by visitors by boat and on foot. * The Cavan Burren Park is an area of forestry land near
Blacklion Blacklion (; originally ''An Leargaidh'') is a village in the north-west of County Cavan in Ireland. It is situated on the N16 national primary road, just across the border from Belcoo, a village in the south-west of County Fermanagh. H ...
in County Cavan, which contains a wealth of prehistoric monuments linked by trails, with a visitors' centre providing interpretation of the features. These include the Calf House or Druid's Altar, a fine example of a portal tomb or
dolmen A dolmen, () or portal tomb, is a type of single-chamber Megalith#Tombs, megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period (4000 ...
dating from
Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
times, and the nearby Giant's Leap
wedge tomb A gallery grave is a form of megalithic tomb built primarily during the Neolithic Age in Europe in which the main gallery of the tomb is entered without first passing through an antechamber or hallway. There are at least four major types of gal ...
. *
Shannon Pot Shannon Pot () is a pool in the karst landscape in the townland of Derrylahan near Cuilcagh Mountain in County Cavan, Ireland. An aquifer-fed naturally fluctuating pool, it is the traditional source of the River Shannon. It has connections, ...
is a natural feature which is considered to be the source of Ireland's longest river, the Shannon. It has rich mythological associations, not least the story of Sionnan, granddaughter of the Celtic sea-god
Lir Lir or Ler (meaning "Sea" in Old Irish; ''Ler'' and ''Lir'' are the nominative and genitive forms, respectively) is a sea god in Irish mythology. His name suggests that he is a personification of the sea, rather than a distinct deity. He is na ...
, who came to this spot in search of the great
Salmon of Wisdom The Salmon of Knowledge () is a creature in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology, sometimes identified with Fintan mac Bóchra, who was known as "The Wise" and was once transformed into a salmon. Fenian Cycle The Salmon story figures prominentl ...
. * There are a number of castles and historic buildings in the Geopark, now largely in ruins. These include Castle Caldwell,
Tully Castle Tully Castle ( Irish: ''Caisleán na Tulaí'' meaning "castle on the hill") is a castle situated in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, near the village of Blaney, on Blaney Bay on the southern shore of Lower Lough Erne. The Blaney area ta ...
, Monea Castle, Drumlane Abbey and
Enniskillen Castle Enniskillen Castle is situated in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It was originally built in the 16th century and now contains the Fermanagh County Museum and a museum for the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards and Royal In ...
, of which the latter is refurbished and contains a museum. *
Devenish Island Devenish or Devinish () is an island in Lower Lough Erne, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Aligned roughly north–south, it is about long and wide. The island is the site of an early Christian monastery and round tower. It is historicall ...
is a registered ancient monastic site in Lower Lough Erne which is accessible by boat. * Boa Island is on situated off the northern shore of Lower Lough Erne and is accessible by road. It contains important scheduled monuments related to early Christianity.


History

The Marble Arch Caves were first explored in 1895 by the French speleologist
Édouard-Alfred Martel Édouard-Alfred Martel (1 July 1859, Pontoise, Val-d'Oise – 3 June 1938, Montbrison (Loire), Montbrison), the 'father of modern speleology', was a world pioneer of cave exploration, study, and documentation. Martel explored thousands of caves ...
together with naturalist
Lyster Jameson Henry Paul William Lyster Jameson (1875 – 26 February 1922) was an Irish zoologist who studied pearl-formation. He also made contributions to speleology and encouraged the study of psychology in adult education. Life H. Lyster Jameson was bor ...
. During the following 70 years, members of the Yorkshire Ramblers' Club and other speleological organisations made further explorations of the system.
Fermanagh District Council Fermanagh District Council was a local council in Northern Ireland. It was created out of Fermanagh County Council and later merged with Omagh District Council in April 2015 under local government reorganisation to become Fermanagh and Omagh Di ...
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. The two areas became one of the first European geoparks in 2001 and gained the status of global geopark in 2004 following the Madonie Agreement between
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
and the
European Geoparks Network The European Geoparks Network (EGN) functions as the regional organization of the Global Geoparks Network (GGN) and the UNESCO International Geosciences and Geoparks Programme (UNESCO-IGGP). Its main objective is to ensure cooperation between geop ...
. 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 County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, 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 hi ...
in the Republic of Ireland.


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

* Castle Archdale * Cladagh Glen Nature Reserve *
Cliffs of Magho The Cliffs of Magho are a 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, ...
* Hanging Rock Nature Reserve *
Lough Oughter Lough Oughter () is a lake, or complex of lakes, in County Cavan covering more than . 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, C ...


References


External links


Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark official website

European Geoparks Network official website
{{coord, 54, 15, 30.34, N, 7, 48, 51.53, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Parks in County Cavan Parks in County Fermanagh Geology of Northern Ireland Geoparks in Northern Ireland Geology of Ireland Geoparks in the Republic of Ireland Global Geoparks Network members Transboundary protected areas