Geology of Ireland Geology of Ireland The geology of Ireland consists of the study of the rock formations in Ireland. The island contains rocks from every age from Proterozoic to Holocene and a large variety of different rock types is represented. The basalt columns of the Giant's Causeway together with geologically significant sections of the adjacent coast have been declared a World Heritage Site. The geological detail follows the major events in Ireland's past based on the geological timescale. The oldest known Irish rock is about 1.7 billion years old and is found on Inishtrahull Island off the north coast of Ulster. Outcrops
Cave of the Crystals only endure approximately ten minutes of exposure at a time. The cave was discovered by the brothers Eloy and Javier Delgado. It has since been allowed to re-flood, with the cavern now filled once more with the water rich in minerals required for the crystals to grow. A group of scientists known as the "Naica Project" have been heavily involved in researching these caverns. Naica lies on an ancient fault above an underground magma chamber which is approximately below the cave. The magma heated the ground water which was saturated with sulfide ions (S). Cool oxygenated surface water contacted the