Earth Science Programme

Introduction

The term earth science is taken to include both geology and geomorphology - that is the study of the rocks and landforms of planet earth.

(Some of the oldest rocks in Northern Ireland - folded Silurian rocks, Kearney Point)

The range of issues touched on by earth science within NIEA is considerable.

First and foremost we are identifying and protecting the most important earth science localities in Northern Ireland (see Earth Science Conservation Review), for its size, one of the most geologically diverse regions in the world (see Geology of Northern Ireland).

The results of the Earth Science Conservation Review can be accessed at Geological sites of Northern Ireland website.

(The rocks provide the substrate on which plants grow, occasionally on the rock itself - Mossy saxifrage on limestone pavement)

As the rocks and landforms of Northern Ireland form the surface on which life has developed, they have a major influence in determining the biodiversity of regions and, more directly, the physical character of the landscape (see Landscape Character Areas and Protected Landscapes).