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Areas of Earth Science Interest

NIEA properties with important earth science features

Many of our country parks and nature reserves host important earth science features. Go to the Designated Areas and also Places to Visit section on the website and use the map to find out more about each site.

Scrabo Country Park	Triassic sandstone with Tertiary igneous rocks in the quarry
Crawfordsburn Country Park	Ordovician rocks along the coast including pillow lavas Dalradian rocks along the River Roe
Roe Valley Country Park	Dalradian rocks along river bank.
Ballyquintin Point Nature	Late glacial raised beach deposits and modern shoreline processes	Raised gravel beach series at Ballyquintin Point Nature Reserve
Banagher Glen Nature Reserve	Dalradian limestone in the quarry
Belshaw's Quarry Nature Reserve	Quarry section through Cretaceous chalk and Tertiary basalt
Binevenagh Nature Reserve	Landslips and Tertiary basalt
Boorin Nature Reserve	Glacial delta complex
Crossmurrin Nature Reserve	Limestone pavement
Giant's Causeway Nature Reserve	World famous basalt columns	The world famous Giant's Causeway Nature Reserve include the basalt columns
Glenariff Waterfalls Forest Nature Reserve	Waterfall series over Tertiary basalt
Hanging Rock and Rossaa Forest Nature Reserve	Small cave and rising. Carboniferous limestone
Kebble Nature Reserve	Sea stacks and cliffs in Tertiary basalt
Killard Nature Reserve	Glacial moraine	Unusual glacial deposits are exposed in the cliffs at Killard Point Nature Reserve
Magilligan Point Nature Reserve	Coastal processes and sand dunes
Marble Arch Nature Reserve	Gorge in Carboniferous limestone, cave series
Murlough Nature Reserve	Beach processes and sand dunes
Murrins Forest Nature Reserve	Glacial moraines	Lakes in depressions formed by blocks of ice during the last glaciation at the Murrins Nature Reserve
Portrush Nature Reserve	Historically important fossiliferous Jurassic rock
Slieveanorra Nature Reserve	Peat erosion features