Week 2 Tectonic Plates and Boundaries

  Nolan Wade  

 This week is about plate tectonics and how this has determined Ireland's unique geological landscape. Not located at any active plate boundary, unlike other nations around it, Ireland lies reasonably securely on the Eurasian Plate, very far away from seismic and volcanic activity associated with regions such as the Pacific Ring of Fire.


    Despite this stability, there are some noteworthy events in Ireland's geological past, such as a mountain-building period around 400 million years ago known as the Caledonian Orogeny, which formed the ancient ranges we see today, and the evidence of ancient volcanic action, perhaps the most famous expression being the Giant's Causeway, which formed from volcanic eruptions approximately 60 million years ago.

    Modern Ireland is subject to very few earthquakes and no active volcanism, yet the nature of plate tectonics has left its mark on the Irish landscape. Understanding these underlying geological processes changes our appreciation of the natural beauty of Ireland and deepens our knowledge of its diverse geological history.

References 



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