IRELAND BRANCH O.U.G.S. Organiser: Phyllis Turkington. Phyllis has BSc honours, mostly in Earth Sciences, and a PGCE Science, both of from The Open University, and a diploma in Geology with University College Cork. Ph.: 0044 028-97561990 or 04897561990 from the Republic E-mail: ireland@ougs.org

Ireland was originally part of North West Branch but the sea between the islands prevented attendance on field trips. The Ireland Branch was set up in the last century when John Leahy agreed to take on the role of organiser in Ireland ( he is older than he looks !) John took S102 the year it was first presented in the Republic (1993) and went on to study Geology with the OU. He has now graduated. Several other existing members joined him to form the Branch notably Phyllis Turkington, the present Organiser, who at that time took on the role of Branch Treasurer.

The Ireland Branch is part of the Open University Geological Society John Leahy's photograph from the Iceland trip, winner of 2005 Moyra Eldridge Photograpic Competition is now on the OUGS web site.

IRELAND

In a very broad sense Ireland consists of a central plain of Carboniferous Limestone rimmed by mountains of Lower Palaeozoic age or older. Only to the northeast lie younger rocks notably the Tertiary basalts of the Giant's Causeway.

DUBLIN

Dublin lies on the east coast of Ireland where the Carboniferous Limestone breaches the mountain rim and reaches the coast. The city is built on, and in part with, Carboniferous Limestone. The limestone extends northwards about 25km before encountering the Lower Palaeozoic sediments and volcanics of the Balbriggan inlier. Navan, where the largest zinc mine in Europe is hosted in the limestone, lies 45km to the northwest.

To the south of Dublin the limestone is fault-bounded. Beyond the fault at an oblique angle running roughly northeast - southwest, is the largest granite batholith in these islands, the Leinster Granite. The granite lies within Ordovician and Silurian sediments and beyond them to the east, at Bray, are Cambrian sediments. Close to the Granite there is a narrow contact metamorphic aureole and in Killiney impressive andalusite schists may be seen. Within the Lower Palaeozoic rocks there are many occurrences of economic minerals, probably the best known being the volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit at Avoca, where copper was mined until 1982.

This should be an exciting visit. The trackway is used in the S260 CD to illustrate faulting. Our previous visit to Kerry was in brilliant sunshine and we saw a school of dolphins in the bay. Visitors from the UK can fly into Kerry or Cork airport. Brave souls may venture a swim in the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. Valentia Island was the location of the first transAtlantic telegraph station.

Killiney. Country rock/granite contact. Susan Pyne, Date tba

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Former field trips:

OUGS Irish Branch Library: