The west of Ireland is a special place. During the Celtic Revival, a literary and political movement spanning the 19th and 20th Centuries, it was seen by many as the ‘true’ Ireland. Haunted by the ghosts of the Irish potato famine, it’s gaelic-speaking communities were taken as a template for a future country freed from… Continue reading The west of Ireland: a geological journey
How to make a rock from scratch
“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” Carl Sagan. I have a handsome piece of rock in my hand. How did it come to be, how was it made? A perfectly acceptable geological answer is that it formed as molten rock cooled slowly underground. But that’s… Continue reading How to make a rock from scratch
A bit of Scotland in an English playground
There is a park near my home that my children like. As is the way of things, this means I stand around it a lot, ready to rub bruised knees or produce biscuits or push ‘faster!’, but otherwise redundant. My attention often wanders to the big blocks of stone in the park – they are… Continue reading A bit of Scotland in an English playground
Cratons – old and strong
Cratons are pieces of continents that have been stable for a over a billion years. As earth’s plates drift along, mountains periodically rise and fall, plate boundaries appear and disappear. But cratons are like great-grandmothers at family gatherings, while younger crust moves excitedly around them, they sit quietly, occasionally remarking on how different things were when… Continue reading Cratons – old and strong