Geology for Everyone

Local geology explained

Walks take place all year long through various events (Bealtaine Festival
of Outdoor Science, European Geoparks Week, Summer walks,
Heritage Week). Please check our "Events" section on the website
or give us a call at 051-292828.

The Copper Coast pamphlet If you can't wait for the next walk, why not exploring the Copper Coast by yourself with the Copper Coast pamphlet? It consists of 3 A2 sheets with a summary of geological processes and details of the geological features to be found along the coast from Kilfarrasy to Stradbally, Co. Waterford.

The pamphlet is available from Tourist Offices in Dungarvan and Waterford
for 4€, or by post from the Geopark Office for 5€ including post and packaging,
cheque payable to Copper Coast Geopark.

Interpretation panels

The Copper Coast Geopark produced information panels interpreting the local
geology for the public. Panels were installed in Spring 2007 in Stradbally Cove,
Ballyvooney Cove, Ballydwane, Bunmahon-Stage Cove, Annestown and
Kilfarrasy.

Stradbally Cove	Ballydwane
Bunmahon Stage Cove	Annestown
Ballyvooney

Panels are A1 size on site, with text in 4 languages. The digital files are far
too large to be downloaded and wouldn't be readable on the screen. Due to
popular demand, the information was extracted from each panels in A4 format
(time scale - common to all panels, geological features - specific to each site
and text in english only) so you could download them at your leisure. See
column to the right.

A series was also prepared for the mining site of Tankardstown and installed
on site in April 2007.

The Geological Garden

Located in Bunmahon, the geological garden was created by the Bunmahon
Heritage Society in 1999 to raise awareness of the local geology, before the
Copper Coast was awarded the European and Global Geopark designations.
The geological garden presents large samples of all the rocks forming the
foundation of the Copper Coast: mudstones (slate), andesite (basalt),
rhyolite, old red sandstone, quartz.

460 million year old slate (mudstones) in the Geological Garden

The Copper Coast Geopark upgraded the geological garden in August 2006
with the "path through geological time": a path with 28 slabs illustrating
the major steps of Earth history and the evolution of life through geological
time.

The Geological Time Path

The introduction slab to the Time Path

Detail of one of the slabs

Information panels with rocks description, maps and photos were also
produced and installed in May 2007.

Introduction panel at the entrance of the geological garden

Detail of the Introduction panel

Panel describing the mudstones, rocks that formed on the ocean floor, 460 million years ago

Panel describing the rhyolite, which formed during underwater volcanic activity, 450 million years ago

Detail of the panel describing the Old Red Sandstone

Geology course

In partnership with the Department of Geology of University College Cork,
the Copper Coast Geopark organised an 8 weeks geology course in Dunhill
Multi-Education Centre in January 2005 and 2006.

Due to popular demand, the Copper Coast Geopark ran a similar course in
the Geopark Centre in Annestown, in Autumn 2006 and in Bunmahon in
Spring 2008. See details

Earth Science 2000 - ES2k

Earth Science 2000 was set up in September 2000 as a voluntary
organisation aimed at promoting the Earth Sciences in the North of
Ireland and as a coordinating body to focus the activity of a diverse
range of organisations and interest groups. At the AGM on the 24th
September 2003, ES2k members from both Northern Ireland and the
Republic of Ireland endorsed a decision to expand the group's remit
to cover the whole island of Ireland.

Through their magazine "Earth Science Ireland" and website ,
ES2k aims to:
- promote public awareness of Earth Science issues affecting the quality
of life, quality of the environment and the sustainable and responsible
development of the geological resources in Ireland;
- promote education and life-long learning in the Earth Sciences;
- act as a coordinating body for and a significant voice of the Earth
Sciences in Ireland.

International Year of Planet Earth - IYPE The year 2008 has been proclaimed by the UN General Assembly as the International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE). Ireland fully supported the proclamation.
The Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI), with the support of the Royal Irish Academy (RIA), has established a National Committee for IYPE which is broadly representative of geoscience in Ireland. Its purpose is to maximise the impact in Ireland of IYPE and to convince decision makers and the public that
geoscience is an exciting and important discipline which makes critical contributions to society. Many events are being organised (Lectures, Exhibitions, Competitions, Talks, Walks, Special Weeks, School Resources and more) all year long and nationwide. Visit the Planet Earth website for details of events.