Sinkholes Tellus Border Earthquake - Geological Survey of Ireland

Geology Matters: Summer 2013 

The Newsletter of the Geological Survey of Ireland 

Nuachtlitir Suirbhéireacht Gheolaíochta Éireann 

www.gsi.ie 

Tel: +353-1-678 2000 

Fax: +353-1-678 2549 

Locall: 1890 449900 

Issue No. 14, Summer 2013 

Sinkholes 

A special feature 

Tellus Border 

Data analysis 

Earthquake 

Off East Coast of Ireland 

ALSO INSIDE 

• BT Young Scientist and Technology 

Exhibition 2013 

• Geoscience 2013 

• INFOMAR Update 

• Geological Photography Challenge 

• All the news 

page 1


Introduction 

Welcome to Issue No. 14 of Geology 

Matters, The Newsletter of the 

Geological Survey of Ireland. The 

Geological Survey of Ireland is 

a division of the Department of 

Communications, Energy & Natural 

Resources (DCENR), and employs 

around 70 people both on a full time 

and contract basis. 

The Geological Survey of Ireland 

(GSI), founded in 1845, is the National 

Earth Science Agency. It is responsible 

for providing geological advice and 

information, and for the acquisition 

of geological data. GSI produces a 

range of products including maps, 

reports and databases and acts as a 

knowledge centre and project partner 

in all aspects of Irish geology. 

We hope you enjoy reading this 

edition of Geology Matters and would 

like to take this opportunity to remind 

you that you can stay up to date with 

all matters geological by accessing 

our website www.gsi.ie 

You might also like to visit our 

Customer Centre and Library. 

Contact details and opening times are 

provided below. 

Contents 

Director’s Discourse 3 

Initial findings of Tellus 

Border Project revealed 4 

BT Young Scientist and 

Technology Exhibition 6 

Geoscience Ireland 

20 Members and Growing 8 

Earthquakes shake East Coast 9 

The Internship 10 

INFOMAR launches two 

new information streams 12 

Geological Photography Challenge 15 

Sinkholes: A Special Feature 16 

Sinkholes in Ireland 18 

Agreement with UK on 

Renewable Energies 23 

GSI at European Space Expo 25 

Publications 26 

Geological Survey of Ireland 

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page 2

Director’s Discourse 

Koen Verbruggen 


I am delighted to be able to pen my 

first “discourse” since becoming 

Director in January of this year. 

For those who don’t know me I 

can give a little bit of background. 

The answer to the first question is I 

am Irish, my father is from Antwerp 

in Belgium, which explains the 

name, but I was born and reared 

in Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow, where I 

now live. I am a Geology graduate 

and have an MSc in Petroleum 

Geology, both from UCD. I spent 

15 years in the resource industry, 

briefly in oil & gas exploration and 

the majority of the time working in 

mineral exploration, mostly for Irish 

junior companies. This resulted in 

me living and working overseas 

for several years, including in 

Canada, Australia, Mexico, Cuba 

and various parts of Africa. In 

2000 I joined GSI, working first in 

Minerals, thereafter in Information 

Management, and then in the 

Marine programme, where I comanaged 

the flagship INFOMAR 

Project. More recently I have 

been involved in all aspects of 

GSI management, working closely 

with our parent Department, 

Communications, Energy and 

Natural Resources, and in the role 

of Acting Director since April 2012. 

Now, in 2013, GSI faces a number 

of challenges, however these 

also represent opportunities for 

the organisation. Since 2007 

we have had a reasonably well 

funded programme of projects, 

when Geoscience was included 

for the first time in the National 

Strategy for Science, Technology 

and Innovation under the National 

Development Plan. These 

projects include INFOMAR, 

the Geoscience Initiatives 

multi-annual projects including 

Groundwater, Aggregates, 

Koen Verbruggen Director Geological Survey of Ireland 

Landslides and Urban Geology 

and our Griffiths Research Awards. 

The majority of these projects will 

complete this year, happily, as 

often reported in this newsletter, 

they all look to have met or 

exceeded their targets, while the 

research programme will largely 

complete in 2014. Therefore we 

are currently facing a busy period 

of planning and stakeholder 

engagement to develop new and 

follow on projects and to secure 

financing and engagement for the 

next phase of our programme. In 

addition we are currently carrying 

out a scheduled external review of 

our INFOMAR Programme, as it 

looks to complete its Phase 1 work 

by 2016. The two large InterReg 

funded Projects we are partner in, 

Tellus Border and INIS HYDRO, 

will both also complete in 2013, 

and work is underway to look at 

the potential to build on these well 

received projects both onshore 

and offshore. 

In addition to the pressures 

on government spending and 

budgets, in GSI we have to deal 

with the recent large number of 

retirements and consequent loss 

of expertise, where 20% of our staff 

have retired in the last few years. 

However, over the duration of the 

current programmes, considerable 

upskilling of staff has taken place, 

we have developed strong skills 

in areas such as IT/GIS and 

Project Management which have 

helped us maintain a high level of 

productivity, and equally we have 

developed stronger relations with 

key stakeholders, agencies and 

external organisations. Thus I am 

confident that we will continue to 

have lots to report in upcoming 

editions of Geology Matters! As 

always we welcome our readers 

feedback, and realise we can only 

achieve a higher profile for Irish 

Geoscience by working together. 

Ní neart go chur le chéile (There 

is no strength without unity). 

page 3


Initial Findings of Tellus Border Project 

Revealed 

Mairéad Glennon Assistant Project ManageTellus Border Project 

Minister for Natural Resources, 

Mr. Fergus O’Dowd, T.D. 

unveiled the preliminary 

findings of the Tellus Border 

project on 5th February 2013 

at the Davenport Hotel, Dublin. 

Speaking to over 80 attendees 

from central and local 

government, research, and the 

environmental, agriculture and 

mineral exploration sectors, 

Minister O’Dowd said “The 

maps released today represent 

a significant body of work which 

characterises in great detail the 

geology and environment of 

the border region. Sustainable 

environmental management not 

only protects our environment 

but supports many sectors 

of the cross-border economy 

including agriculture and 

tourism”. 

The Tellus Border project is 

an EU INTERREG IVA-funded 

mapping project that involves 

the collection of scientific 

data on soils, sediments, 

waters and rocks across the 

six border counties of Ireland 

(Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, 

Cavan, Monaghan and Louth) 

and the integration of these 

with existing data collected 

in Northern Ireland as part of 

the Tellus project in 2007. The 

Geological Survey of Ireland is 

a partner in this cross-border 

initiative, which is led by the 

Geological Survey of Northern 

Ireland in Belfast. After the 

Ray Scanlon, GSI Tellus Programme Manager and acting Principal 

Geologist; Mairéad Glennon, Assistant Project Manager, Tellus 

Border and Minister for Natural Resources Fergus O’Dowd view 

the newly released Tellus Border data on 5th February 2013. 

successful completion of the 

geophysical and geochemical 

surveys in summer 2012, 

the three-year project is now 

in a data interpretation and 

mapping phase. Ray Scanlon, 

Acting Principal Geologist 

and manager of the Tellus 

programme at the GSI, said 

the Tellus Border team was 

pleased with the early release 

of the data: “We’re delighted 

to be able to deliver this data 

to our stakeholders some 10 

months before the end of the 

project in December 2013. The 

early release of the airborne 

geophysical data and the 

preview of the geochemical 

data will allow researchers, 

planners, environmental 

managers and mineral 

exploration companies to start 

using the data from this flagship 

project straight away for the 

benefit of the environment and 

the economy”. 

The airborne geophysical 

survey data, now available to the 

general public free of change, 

has revealed extraordinary new 

detail to regional geological 

features which extend 

throughout the border region. 

New information on subsurface 

structures is already helping 

to improve and update the 

Geological Survey of Ireland’s 

page 4

existing geological maps, which 

support sustainable planning 

countrywide. Data is available 

to view and download on the 

Tellus Border website www. 

tellusborder.eu. 

The launch event also saw a 

preview of the geochemical 

data, which will be released 

later in 2013 following 

continuing quality checks and 

interpretation. The data is 

revealing important natural and 

man-made influences on the 

soil and water chemistry of the 

area, significant for managing 

the environment and optimising 

agricultural productivity. Forty 

seven soil geochemistry maps 

are now available to view online 

with the Tellus Border online 

viewer. 


A conference will be held 

on October 24th 2013 in 

Monaghan, to officially close 

the project and present the 

full findings from the survey 

and accompanying academic 

research projects. To register 

for notifications for upcoming 

data releases, please email 

your details to tellusborder@ 

gsi.ie. 

The Tellus Border viewer, available online at www.tellusborder.eu 

page 5


BT Young Scientist and Technology 

Exhibition Mary Carter Senior Geologist Head of IT 

In January 2013 the BT Young 

Scientist and Technology 

Exhibition (BTYSE) was held in 

the Royal Dublin Society(RDS), 

in Ballsbridge in Dublin. The 

GSI organised and coordinated 

a stand at the Exhibition in 

association with partners from 

across the island of Ireland, as 

we had done in previous years. 

This Exhibition is the final stage 

of a competition which is open 

to all second level students 

from Ireland, both North and 

South. 550 of the best projects 

were chosen to compete for the 

prizes. Students came from 224 

secondary schools. Although 

not part of the competition 

121 primary schools also 

were given an opportunity to 

exhibit a class project at the 

RDS Primary Science Fair. 

This year for the first time in 

many years, GSI sponsored 

a Special Award to the project 

that best demonstrated the use 

of geological data. The award 

was won by Tom McDonald of 

Skerries Community College, 

with his project entitled 

“Predicting changing sands on 

Skerries South Strand”. The 

GSI hope to sponsor another 

prize in 2014. 

Forty people helped on the 

stand and made sure there 

was always someone there to 

answer queries. Joining many 

staff from GSI on the stand 

were the Exploration Mining 

Tom McDonald being presented with the Special Award for his project, 

“Predicting changing sands on Skerries South Strand”. by Koen 

Verbruggen, Director of The Geological Survey of Ireland. 

Division also part of DCENR 

and staff from the Dublin 

Institute for Advanced Studies, 

the Natural History Museum 

and the Geological Survey of 

Northern Ireland. Also on the 

stand were representatives 

of the Irish Geological 

Association, Institute of 

Geologists of Ireland, and Earth 

Science Ireland with a variety of 

exhibits. These organisations, 

staff and members, combined 

to showcase topics including 

earthquakes, water, and 

minerals in particular as well 

as Ireland’s rocks. Geoscience 

projects highlights included 

Tellus Border, who allowed 

children and adults to pan for 

“gold”. Newly made for this 

year’s stand was a 3D model 

which demonstrated how data 

on the seabed is collected 

from GSI Research Vessels. It 

was designed and constructed 

by Marine Geologist,Eoin 

McCraith, who is working on the 

INFOMAR project. Staff and 

members of all organisations 

involved promoted the fact 

that geoscience makes a big 

page 6


Eoin Mc Craith, member of the INFOMAR Project with his model demonstating how data is collected 

by a survey vessel at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition. 

contribution to our lives. Those 

on the stand also helped to 

explain to students, teachers 

and visitors to the exhibition 

that Geological Science is 

the science of the earth and 

geologists are those scientists 

who study the earth. 

page 7


Geoscience Ireland 

20 Members and Growing 

Sean Finlay Director-Business Development 

Geoscienece Ireland (GI) is a 

GSI sponsored consortium of 

consultants and contractors 

providing advisory and 

design solutions in mineral 

exploration, mining, water and 

environmental services and 

institutional capacity building. 

Target countries include 

Saharan Africa, Australia, 

Canada and Eastern Europe. 

An initial reference group of 5 

companies which came together 

in 2010 has expanded rapidly 

since September 2012 with 

the appointment of a Business 

Development Director. 

GI now has 20 members with 

a combined turnover of over 

€140 million per annum and 

has over 1,000 employees. 

Approximately 35% of turnover 

is derived from overseas 

markets and the objective is to 

grow this amount. 

The broad divisions of GI 

service companies are as 

follows (as some companies 

provide more than one service, 

the total is more than 20). 

Surveying (Geophysical and 

Geospatial); 3 

Geology, Mineral Exploration; 4 

Water Services, Hydrogeology, 

Geotechnical; 7 

Environmental; 6 

Drilling and Tunnelling; 5 

Ireland’s Ambassador to South Africa His Excellency 

Brendan McMahon in Cape Town with Indaba delegates 

Sean Finlay (Geoscience Ireland) and Dr Deirdre Lewis 

(SLR- a GI member). 

Marketing activity has 

focussed on the GI website 

www.geoscience.ie on direct 

contacts with target companies 

and on participation in major 

mining related conferences. 

Events attended were a Market 

Study Visit to Western Australia 

arranged by Enterprise Ireland 

in November 2012; the Mines & 

Money Conference in London in 

December 2012; Mining Indaba 

in Cape Town in February 

and the PDAC in Toronto in 

March. PDAC is the world’s 

largest mining conference. 

Enterprise Ireland and the Irish 

Ambassadors to Australia and 

South Africa participated in 

some of these events. 

page 8

Earthquakes shake East Coast 


Dr Brian McConnell, Bedrock Programme 

Two earthquakes recently 

occurred just off the coast 

of the Llyn peninsula, North 

Wales. The first was at 3.16am 

on Wednesday 29th May, 

Magnitude is variably reported 

as between 3.8ML and 4.2ML 

at a depth of 8km. The second 

of magnitude 2.8ML took place 

in almost the same location at 

22.28 on the 26th of June. 

The earthquakes were 

produced by movements on 

the Menai Straits fault system, 

which runs across the Irish 

Sea from Anglesey to South 

Wexford. This fault has had 

a long geological history of 

movement and is a locus 

of small earthquakes to the 

present day. 

Shaking of buildings was 

reported across SE Ireland, 

from counties Wexford to 

Dublin. In Britain, the tremors 

were felt in many communities 

in North Wales and even in 

Douglas, Isle of Man and 

Southport, Lancashire. 

Location of recent earthquakes, 

courtesy of BGS. 

In 1984 the Llyn Peninsula 

was also the site of the largest 

earthquake felt in Ireland in 

recent times, which measured 

5.4ML. 

Image captured on May 29th by Seismograph based at the 


page 9


The Internship 

Axel Keeß, from Germany reflects on his experience as an 

Intern in the Groundwater Section. 

When I got off the plane at Dublin 

Airport on Friday the 23rd November 

2012, I could not imagine that my 

first week in Ireland would be as 

overwhelming as it turned out to 

be. At this point I want to say many 

thanks to Taly Hunter-Williams and 

her husband Tom for letting me stay 

with their family in my first two weeks 

in Dublin! It was great for me to see an 

Irish family from the inside [Taly, UK 

and husband Tom, Italy. Ed] and I fell 

straight in love with baked beans and 

potatoes. On the first evening I went to 

a Pub with Taly and Tom. We saw an 

amazing gig by the band “Normal, Bar 

the Sword” featuring Oisín Ó’Briain of 

the GSI on the drums. I also drank 

my first Guinness in Ireland, not love 

at the first glimpse but I definitely love 

it now. 

The next day Taly and I got up early to 

drive to Galway where we met other 

hydrogeologists and were introduced 

to the geothermal heating system 

of the GMIT main building by some 

engineers. In the afternoon we drove 

to Athlone where we got an insight 

into the huge geothermal-powered 

heating system of Athlone Town 

centre, the midlands largest shopping 

centre. I spent the following Sunday 

getting my first impression of Dublin 

City, which I enjoyed a lot. The Irish 

weather welcomed me with loads of 

rain, but I was well prepared for that. 

During the first few days in the office 

I was introduced to most of the GSI 

staff, too many names to remember 

instantly. Everybody I met was very 

friendly and gave me a really nice 

welcome. After work I started looking 

for accommodation and also had 

the time to hear a very interesting 

lecture about “Managing the risks 

of Fracking” in the impressive Royal 

Irish Academy. 

My first days in the office were 

soon about to end. On Wednesday 

I met Michał Śmietanka from 

the Environmental Engineering 

consultantcy CDM Smith. I spent 

the following two days in Co. Mayo, 

conducting two groundwater tracing 

experiments with optical brightener. 

The first trace took place near Kilmaine 

and the second near Swinford. It was 

amazing for me to see the beautiful 

and wild landscape in Mayo and also 

very beneficial to learn about flow 

measurements, conductivity and 

pH measurements of stream water. 

The full Irish Breakfast in the hotel in 

Swinford filled me up for the whole 

day. I’ve never had so much meat for 

breakfast in my life. When we arrived 

back in Dublin on Friday evening, a 

very eventful but beautiful first week 

drew to an end. 

The weeks before Christmas I 

learned a lot about the groundwater 

vulnerability mapping programme in 

Ireland. I improved my ArcGIS skills 

by creating maps for a project in Co. 

Louth for the National Federation of 

Group Water Schemes. It was great 

to start playing the GSI-lunchtimefootball 

on Wednesdays. The GSI 

Christmas Party was the perfect finish 

for my first month in Ireland, and I 

was looking forward to continuing my 

internship in 2013. 

After spending Christmas back in 

Germany and one week together with 

my girlfriend in Ireland, the first event in 

2013 was the BT Young Scientist and 

Technology Exhibition. I supported the 

groundwater section at the GSI stand 

demonstrating the Karst model and 

of course the interactive groundwater 

model. In those days I learned that 

talking constantly for hours can be 

quite exhausting! A couple of times I 

had to try very hard to understand the 

different types of Irish accents, a good 

exercise for my English. But it was 

good fun to bring groundwater closer 

to the mostly very interested children 

and their parents. After that, the time 

had come for some more fieldwork. 

Luckily for me, a groundwater tracing 

project on behalf of Galway Co. 

Council was about to take place in 

Ballymoe, Co. Galway. Initially I spent 

a whole day in the field organising 

the trace with Caoimhe Hickey from 

the GSI and the two commissioned 

consultants, Pamela Bartley and 

Suzanne Tynan. After having 

everything set for the trace, I would 

spend three days taking water samples 

in Ballymoe. Thanks to Pam, who let 

me stay in her house in Galway for the 

two nights, I had the chance to get to 

know Galway a bit better. I really liked 

the cosy town centre, a nice contrast 

to the much busier Dublin. The field 

work was great for me as well. I got 

used to driving in Ireland and soon 

had a pretty good orientation on the 

sites. Even a fall into a small river was 

included, no problem thanks to a spare 

pair of trousers. That reminded me to 

be more careful, as the streams were 

swollen with water due to constant 

rainfall and the embankments became 

less stable. 

The conclusion of the whole project will 

be the analysing of the water samples. 

Slowly three highly interesting months 

came to an end, and I want to thank 

all of the GSI staff for making this 

internship so extremely interesting 

for me! Special thanks go to Monica 

Lee, who agreed on my internship 

and to Caoimhe, who helped me with 

many projects and answered all my 

questions! 

page 10

“It was great for me to see an Irish family 

from the inside and I fell straight in love 

with baked beans and potatoes” 


Axel Keeß 

page 11


INFOMAR launches two new information streams 

Charise McKeon, Marine Geologist, INFOMAR Programme Geological Survey of Ireland 

Two new information streams 

have been launched by INFOMAR 

highlighting the upcoming 2013 

survey operations in a new brochure 

and showcasing a series of videos 

centred on the work carried out by 

INFOMAR via a dedicated YouTube 

Channel. 

2013 Operational Programm 

The 22 page brochure entitled “2013 

Operational Programme” highlights 

the areas to be surveyed this year 

in addition to key information on 

INFOMAR survey platforms, data 

acquisition methods and data types. 

The brochure is an enhanced version 

of this annual publication the aim of 

which is to provide information to the 

public, private and academic sectors 

on the work of INFOMAR in a concise 

and factual format. 

The 2013 INFOMAR survey 

operations will be split into three key 

areas. The R.V. Celtic Voyager will 

focus on two coastal target areas; West 

Clare on behalf of the Sustainable 

Energy Authority for Ireland (SEAI) 

and the South and East Priority Areas. 

The R.V. Keary, R.V. Geo and R.V. 

Cusantóir Bradán will focus on the 

inshore areas to include Dundalk and 

Carlingford Bay (INISHydro), Dingle 

Bay, Shannon Estuary and offshore 

Co. Clare, Blacksod and Broadhaven 

Bays, Gola Island and Lough Foyle 

and Lough Swilly. The third key area 

will be feasibility trials on the use 

of satellite remote sensing to map 

Carlingford Lough, Cork Harbour, 

Lough Foyle and the Shannon 

Estuary. The operations brochure 

also shows some of the value added 

aspects of the Infomar programme. 

A listing of all 23 research projects 

funded in 2011/2012 is included 

in addition to some examples of 

collaborative applications in areas 

related to INFOMAR activities. A 

section on INFOMAR data products 

and information on how to access 

this range of items also features. The 

brochure is available in both hard 

copy and as a download from www. 

infomar.ie 

page 12

INFOMAR YouTube Channel 

In addition to the INFOMAR 

operational programme brochure 

a series of videos are being made 

available as part of a new INFOMAR 

YouTube Channel, highlighting 

the programme’s objectives. The 

production of the video series 

was carried out by The SIXSEM 

Production Company and covers a 

range of topics including the overall 

description of IINFOMAR, vessels 

and equipment used, shipwrecks, life 

on a vessel, sediment sampling and 

Oceanography. The YouTube channel 

link will shortly be available to view via 

www.infomar.ie 

And Finally….. 

The National Geophysical Data 

Centre (NGDC) is the US archive for 

all geophysical datasets including 

multibeam bathymetric data and 

presently holds over 15.7 million 

nautical miles of ship tracklines (1187 


surveys) received from sources 

worldwide. In addition to deepwater 

data, the multibeam database also 

includes hydrographic multibeam 

survey data from National Ocean 

Service (NOS). All INSS and 

INFOMAR raw data is now available 

for download via this platform and this 

can be accessed at http://maps.ngdc. 

noaa.gov/viewers/multibeam/. Further 

information on this international 

cooperation can also be viewed 

at http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/ 

bathymetry/multibeam/irish_data.html 

Irish Seabed Mapping Data available on US NGDC website 

page 13


End of an era... 

Tom McIntyre, Senior Technican 

The end of May 2013 saw the end of 

an era in the GSI with the retirement of 

Kevin Crilly, Senior Driller. Kevin had 

acquired an in depth knowledge of the 

geological landscape of the country 

having drilled thousands of drill holes 

across the land and reporting back to 

the project geologist. 

Kevin Joined the Survey in August 

1976 as an experienced driller having 

worked for the previous eleven years 

on projects in the UK and Africa. His 

mission was to develop a drilling 

capacity for the organisation, using 

the Pilcon Wayfarer Drill which was 

already in house. Initial projects in 

the main were investigating sites 

of Quaternary interest and proving 

bedrock. 

Then in the early 1980s with the 

acquisition of Mobile Wireline Rig, 

deeper investigation into the bedrock 

became the norm and Kevin played a 

major part in enhancing the knowledge 

for various maps of the Bedrock 

Series. Later still when ground water 

protection studies were under taken, 

Kevin carried out flight auger drilling 

in those areas with limited Quaternary 

information until every county was 

covered. 

For many years Kevin and the late 

Dick O Brien operated as a cohesive 

effective drilling team. They always 

managed to explain their activity to 

property owners so as to gain their 

trust and permission to access sites. 

Throughout his career in GSI, Kevin 

interacted with very many people, from 

the raw geological recruit who would 

have benefited from his guidance 

and knowledge, to the many property 

owners and casual inquisitors curious 

as to what was going on. 

Kevin was always friendly, courteous 

and an able ambassador for the GSI. 

Kevin Crilly Senior Driller, being presented with a Du Noyer print by Koen Verbruggen, Director, 

Geological Survey of Ireland and Tom McIntyre, Senior Technican. 

page 14


Geological Photography Challenge! 

GSI’s Annual Du Noyer Photo Competition 

Calling all photographers, particularly amateur! Why not head out into the outdoors this year and snap some 

gorgeous landscapes in your area. Then enter the annual landscape/geological photo competition run by GSI – the Du 

Noyer Photographic Competition. 

The competition, organised in conjunction with the Irish Geological Association (www.geology.ie), is named after George 

Victor Du Noyer 1817 - 1869, a skilled artist who worked for many years with a youthful GSI and had a tendency to add 

illustrations to the geological maps on which he worked. His artistic sketches were the “field photographs” of their day 

and in 1995 the National Gallery of Ireland exhibited a collection of his paintings under the title “Hidden Landscapes.” 

This year the competition has a prize fund of €500 and it accepts photographs of geological interest taken either in 

Ireland or overseas. The competition’s closing date is Friday, October 11, 2013 and you may enter as many as 4 

images, so get snapping...! The lucky winners will also be invited to attend an awards ceremony and exhibition in the 

Dublin offices of GSI on December 13. Results will also appear on the GSI website. 

Du Noyer Photographic Competition 

Irish category 

Foriegn category 

First Prize €250 Prize €100 

Second Prize €100 

Third Prize €50 

Send your entries to DuNoyerPhotoCompetition@gmail.com 

please note that only entries attached to an e-mail can be accepted 

Further details are available at 

www.gsi.ie/Education/Du+Noyer+Photography+Competition 

Kilchrist Area near Broadford, Red Cuillin mountains in the background, 

Isle of Skye, Scotland. Emily Murray 

page page 15 15


Sinkholes: A Special Feature 

What is the likelihood of the ground opening up underneath me? 

Dr. Caoimhe Hickey, Hydrogeologist, Groundwater GSI 

Sinkhole in Guatelmala City, May 29th 2010. Luis Echeverria, US EPA 

Catastrophic events of 

buildings falling down into large 

collapse features, such as 

the recent sinkhole in Florida, 

are extremely rare. However, 

there have been reports of 

minor collapses of roads and 

fields in Ireland. These are 

found in karst areas prone to 

solution and many landowners 

fill these in on a regular basis. 

The Photo on page 17 is taken 

from a field in North Cork. The 

photograph shows a rescue 

of a cow that was trapped at 

the bottom of a cover collapse 

doline as it suddenly opened up 

from under her. 

There are estimated to be over 

6,000 dolines in Ireland. The 


host maps that can help you to 

determine if karst development 

in likely in your area. Firstly, 

the Bedrock Geology Map of 

Ireland (available in 1:100,000 

scale) will show you if you live in 

a limestone area. There is also 

a karst landscape database, 

which will show you some 

of the recorded landforms in 

your area including dolines. 

These datasets are available 

for viewing on our interactive 

public viewer site 

http://spatial.dcenr.gov.ie/imf/ 

imf.jsp?site=Groundwater or 

for downloading at http://www. 

dcenr.gov.ie/Spatial+Data/ 

Geological+Survey+of+Ireland/ 

SI+Spatial+Data+Downloads. 

htm 

page 16


A rescue operation of a cow that ended up at the bottom of a sinkhole that opened 

up suddenly underneath her, North Cork. Source: O’Brien 

A cover collapse doline in Roscommon. 

page 17


Sinkholes in Ireland 

Dr. Caoimhe Hickey, Hydrogeologist, Groundwater GSI 

What is a sinkhole 

or doline? 

A sinkhole (or doline as it is 

more commonly called outside 

of North America), is a natural 

enclosed depression found 

in karst landscapes. Karst 

landscapes are formed in 

rocks that can be dissolved 

by acidic water. This is usually 

on carbonate rocks, such 

as limestones but karst can 

develop on evaporitic rocks 

and siliceous rocks such as 

quartzite. Approximately half 

of the Republic of Ireland is 

underlain by Carboniferous 

Limestone and consequently 

karst is an important aspect of 

the Irish landscape. 

Dolines are the most common 

landform in karst areas. 

They are described as small 

to medium sized closed 

depressions, ranging from 

metres to hundreds of metres 

in both diameter and depth. 

Once created dolines function 

as funnels, allowing the direct 

transmission of surface water 

into the underlying karstic 

bedrock aquifer. They may 

occur as isolated features or in 

clusters causing a pock-marked 

land surface 

How do dolines form? 

Dolines are formed by two main 

methods: the slow solutional 

removal of rock from the surface 

downward (solution doline), or 

by the collapse of overlying rock 

or overlying material into an 

underground cave or chamber 

(collapse doline). Most dolines 

are considered polygenetic in 

origin and are usually formed 

from a combination of solution 

and collapse, however one 

of these processes usually 

dominates their appearance, 

whether it is catastrophic or 

gradual. 

Solution dolines form in places 

such as vertical or near vertical 

joint intersections. Surface 

runoff will focus at these areas 

of weakness, leading to the 

solution of the bedrock. Water 

and solutes will then move 

downwards through the bedrock 

openings (such as at joints and 

bedding planes). The result is 

a funnel-shaped depression on 

the surface. Solution dolines 

are considered to be formed by 

a gradual process of sagging 

or settling of the overlying 

deposits into the hollow left 

by an area of dissolving rock. 

Solution dolines are usually 

characterised by gentle slopes 

with no obvious rupturing of the 

soil or surface. 

Collapse dolines usually occur 

very suddenly where the 

bedrock or subsoil material 

collapse into an underlying 

void. Cover collapse dolines 

(sometimes known as dropout 

dolines), which are very 

common in Ireland, occur 

in karst areas covered by 

unconsolidated material, such 

as glacial till. They form by the 

sudden downward movement 

of the overburden and usually 

form in areas where the 

overburden is somewhat 

cohesive. They occur in a 

process called 'piping', where 

a soil or subsoil arch, which 

has formed due to removal 

of material at the bottom of a 

layer of overburden, suddenly 

gives way (White, 1988). 

Although there must be a highly 

efficient pathway established 

for sediment transportation in 

order for the soil arch to form 

and grow, a large bedrock 

hollow is not necessary for their 

development. Cover collapse 

dolines are characterised 

by vertical or steep-sided 

collapses, with a very sharp 

break in slope and often have 

stepped sides, where soil is 

exposed. Over time, however, 

their slopes may degrade and 

infilling sediment may build 

up giving these dolines the 

morphology of solution dolines 

(Ford and Williams, 2007). 

If you are worried about 

sinkholes in Ireland, or have 

additional information about 

sinkholes or potential karst 

collapse features please 

contact The Groundwater 

Section at The Geological 

Survey of Ireland 

groundwaterinfo@gsi.ie 

page 18


Solution Doline Formation (Jennings 1985) 

Solution Dolines in Co. Roscommon 

The Formation of a Cover Collapse Doline. A) Solutional openings in the bedrock wash material 

downward, B) A small arch forms in the subsoil where the material is being washed away, C) The 

void grows in size as more material is being downwashed until it reaches a critical point and starts 

to rupture, D) The arch suddenly collapses as it can no longer support its own weight, E) Overtime 

the vertical sides will degrade and the hole will become less deep. 

page 19


A) A small recently collapsed 

pipe failure. Photograph shows 

caver's ladder going down into 

opening. 

B) This shows the same 

collapse feature with a caver 

going down the ladder inside. 

Note the void and the neck of 

subsoil material about half way 

down. 

C) This is the same collapse 

feature from the base of the 

void in the bedrock. Again, note 

the subsoil neck about half way 

up, the void and the small grass 

opening as seen in Photo A. 

page 20


Bedrock collapse dolines are 

caused by collapse of bedrock 

into an underlying void. They are 

commonly due to the collapse 

of the roof of a cave and can 

be catastrophic. Although 

solution is a significant process 

driving the creation of these 

dolines, they are principally 

due to mechanical processes, 

although the collapse must be 

preceded by sufficient solution 

of the bedrock to form a void 

into which the material can fall 

(Williams, 2004a). 

They can also be caused by 

lowering of the water table 

removing buoyant support. 

They are usually characterised 

by a high depth to width ratio and 

vertical bedrock sides, although 

in time they may degrade and 

infill. These are less common 

in Ireland. 

Bedrock collapse Doline Formation (Jennings 1985) 

Pollelva doline in Co. Clare. 

Photo: Colin Bunce, Clare Caving Club 

page 21


Sinkholes or dolines, after heavy rain, near Athenry 

Co. Galway, Photo source, Tobin Consulting Engineers 

page 22


Agreement with UK on Renewable Energy 

On January 24th, the Minister 

for Communications Energy 

& Natural Resources, Pat 

Rabbitte, TD, and the UK 

Secretary for Energy and 

Climate Change, Edward Davey, 

MP signed a Memorandum of 

Understanding to work closely 

together to secure economic 

benefits for both Ireland and the 

U.K. through trade in renewable 

energy. 

Minister Rabbitte said “Ireland 

has the potential to generate far 

more wind energy than we could 

consume domestically. The 

opportunity to export this green 

power presents an opportunity 

for employment growth and 

export earnings which we must 

seize if we can. Today the two 

Governments are committing 

themselves to a programme of 

work”. The MOU affirms the two 

States’ commitment to: 

• Maintaining a strong 

partnership on energy 

issues; 

• Achieve closer integration 

of electricity markets; 

• Maximise the sustainable 

use of low carbon 

renewable energy 

resources. 

This will trigger detailed 

analysis of how Irish renewable 

energy resources, onshore and 

offshore, might be developed to 

The UK Secretary for Energy and Climate Change, Edward Davey, MP 

and the Minister for Communications Energy & Natural Resources, Pat 

Rabbitte, TD,. 

the mutual benefit of Ireland and 

the United Kingdom. Any such 

trading of renewable energy 

between the two States will seek 

to achieve more cost efficient 

uses of resources, drive down 

deployment costs, be sustainable 

in the long term, and reduce 

dependence on fossil fuels. 

If analysis shows that 

renewables trading would be to 

mutual benefit, the next stage 

would be to develop an intergovernmental 

agreement for 

signing in 2014. A tight timeline 

is essential if potential projects, 

which would be selected through 

an open competitive process, 

are to commence exporting wind 

energy from Ireland to the United 

Kingdom by 2020. 

GSI have been actively involved 

in mapping suitable sites for 

offshore renewables, through 

the Infomar Programme, in 

conjunction with SEAI. 

“From a GSI perspective the 

agreement with the UK is likely 

to stimulate further interest in 

development of wind energy 

both on and off shore, and 

further interaction with our 

stakeholders. Already INFOMAR 

is involved in mapping areas 

suitable for marine renewable 

energy, frequently in consultation 

with SEAI. While onshore GSI is 

a statutory consultee in relation 

to wind farm development, 

particularly in relation to the 

dangers of peat failures and 

landslides.” 

page 23


Another project completed 

Monica Lee, 

Senior Geologist, Head of Groundwater 

After five and half years, 

the National Groundwater 

Vulnerability Mapping 

Programme came to its 

conclusion at the end of May 

2013*. The objective of the 

programme was to provide 

a standardised, national 

groundwater vulnerability map, 

which required new mapping 

over approximately half of the 

country, and updating of the 

original maps in 6 counties. 

Mellissa Spillane, Mapping Geologist, Tobin engineering Consultants, 

being presented with a Du Noyer print by Koen Verbruggen, Director, 

Geological Survey of Ireland. 

The maps are used by a large 

range of users, including Local 

Authorities, within their planning 

process, and at a national level 

for national risk assessments, 

e.g. for the purposes of the 

Water Framework Directive. 

The field mapping and 

production of maps and 

reports was undertaken by 

Tobins Consultants. The team 

consisted of three full time 

mapping geologists - Monika 

Kabza, Orla Murphy and 

Melissa Spillane - who were 

project managed by Coran Kelly 

(also Tobins), Robbie Meehan 

(independent consultant subcontracted 

by Tobin Engineering 

Consultants, (Tobins) and the 

GSI Groundwater Section team. 

Given the length of this project, 

this mapping team became 

an integral part of the GSI 

Groundwater Section. Monika, 

Orla and Melissa were based 

in the GSI offices and will be 

especially missed as they had 

made a huge contribution to 

both the Groundwater Section 

and to GSI as a whole. We 

wish them the best of luck in 

their future projects and will be 

keeping in touch with them! 

*The National Groundwater Vulnerability Map and associated reports will be launched in the Autumn 

of 2013. 

page 24

GSI at the EUROPEAN SPACE EXPO 

Michael Sheehy 

Geologist, Quaternary and Geotechnical Programme 

GSI was a partner to the European 

Space Expo when it visited Dublin 

from the 4th to the 9th of June. This 

successful event was hosted in its 

own specially constructed dome in 

Trinity College Dublin Front Square 

and had 30,000 visitors. The 

European Space Expo showcased 

the wide range of benefits that 

Space brings to Europe and how 

these initiatives are improving 

our quality of life. GSI contributed 

two talks on space applications 

focused on how observing the 

earth from different vantage points 

and in different ways can answer 

important geological questions 

for Irish, and European, citizens. 

Visitors to the Space Expo were 

provided with material illustrating 

the process of combining space 

data with geological data and 

knowledge. 

The role of Earth Observation 

(EO) data in mapping Ireland's 

maritime territory, one of the 

largest in Europe was detailed by 

GSI Director, Koen Verbruggen. 

Director Verbruggen’s overview of 

the contribution EO technologies 

make to bathymetric mapping 

also illustrated the useful 

derivatives that are developed 

as ancillary products when using 

these technologies. Mapping 

the submarine environment and 

mapping from space present 

similar sets of challenges; Director 

Verbruggen also described some 

of these parallels, how obstacles 

are overcome to achieve good 

outcomes and anticipated future 

directions. 

GSI geologist, Michael Sheehy, 

engaged the audience when 

he demonstrated how radar 

data helps map geohazards 

(landslides, subsidence, heave) 

in urban areas. This talk came 

from work developed during 

GSI’s participation in the FP7 

PanGeo project. The PanGeo 

project (www.pangeoproject.eu) is 

developing ground instability maps 

and reports for 52 large centres of 

population in the EU (~13% of the 

EU population). PanGeo provides 

a ‘ground stability layer’ which 

describes the spatial location and 

extent of geohazards for all the 

cities mapped. Geohazards in 

each participating city have been 

mapped by the corresponding 

National Geological Survey. 


Michael Sheehy, addressing the audience at the EUROPEAN 

SPACE EXPO in Trinity College, Dublin in June 2013. 

Photo by @megafloods 

Detailed local knowledge of 

geohazards has been combined 

with satellite observations of 

ground movement to create 

a comprehensive map of all 

geohazards present in each town, 

ensuring that different towns can 

be compared. The Geological 

Survey of Ireland has developed 

‘ground stability layer’ maps and 

interpretive reports for Co. Dublin 

and Cork City (the combined study 

areas cover >30% of the Irish 

population). 

page 25


New Publications in GSI’s walk-in-shop and on our e-store www.gsishop.ie 

Introducing Geology - A Guide to the World of Rocks 

Author: Graham Park. 

Format: Paperback. 

Extent: 134pp Size: 165mm X 195mm 

Illustrations: Colour Throughout. 

Publisher: Dunedin Academic Press Ltd Published: 2010 

Price €13.99 

Introducing Geomorphology – A Guide to Landforms and Processes 

Author: Adrian Harvey 

Format: Paperback 


Illustrations: Colour Throughout 


Price €13.99 

Introducing Oceanography 

Authors: David N. Thomas & David G. Bowers 





Price €13.99 

Introducing Palaeontology - A Guide to Ancient Life 

Author: Patrick Wyse Jackson 





Price €13.99 

Introducing Volcanology – A Guide to Hot Rocks 

Author: Dougal Jerram 



llustrations: Colour Throughout 


Price €13.99 

page 26


Bestsellers in GSI’s walk-in-shop and on our e-store www.gsishop.ie 

N.B. Prices do not include P and P 

The Geology of Laois and Offaly 

Price €40.00 

ISBN 978-0-95745433-1-9 

Author: John Feehan Format: Hardback Extent: 403pp Size: 215 x 300 mm 

Illustration: Colour Throughout Published: 2013 Publisher: Offaly County Council 

in association with Laois County Council and the Geological Survey of Ireland. 

In this magnificent volume John now brings all of this research together for a general 

readership, and relates it to the broader cultural heritage of Laois and Offaly in a chapter 

that looks at Geology in our Lives. Separate chapters review the story of the two counties 

through the successive geological epochs that have a bearing on their evolution. 

Geology at the Table - Cooking without borders 

Price €17.00 

Format: Hardback Extent: 116pp Size: 230mm x 230mm. Illustrations: Colour 

Throughout Published: 2012 Publisher: Eurgeosurveys 

Introduction to the readers by Marco Komac (President of Eurogeosurveys) 

“The book “Geology at the table-Cooking without borders is a special one. It is 

geologically flavoured cook-book, the first in its kind in the word. I dare you to cherish 

the joy of variety of European cuisine this book brings with your family and friends and 

to pass on the true meaning of the book - a unique pan-European friendship that thrives 

on the richness of our continent’s diversity”. 

The Making of Meath 

Price €20.00 

ISBN 978-1-9009232-5-5 

Author: Robert Meehan Format: Hardback. Extent: 96pp Size: 210x260mm 

Illustrations: Colour Throughout Publisher: Meath County Council Published: 2012 

Meath’s natural landscape shows a myriad of hills, hollows, rivers, streams and boglands 

that together illustrate a fascinating geological history. The bedrock of the county records 

ancient events, while the landscape form itself has been sculpted by galcier ice during the 

last Ice Age. The Making of Meath tells that story, and illustrates the most striking geological 

sites and patterns within the county and explores the relationship between the land and 

humans, through the millennia....,, 

Rock Around Ireland - A guide to Irish Geology 

Price €20.00 

ISBN 0-0906002-13-3 

Author: Peadar McArdle Format: Hardback (Limited Hardback Stock Available) 

Extent: 112pp Size: 210 X 155mm Illustrations: Colour Throughout Publisher: 

Albertine Kennedy Publishing Published: 2008 

In this colourful book, Peadar McArdle, forner Director of the Geological Survey of Ireland, 

explains how all the rocks we see around us came to be there. Words and photographs 

help us to explore and understand Ireland’s varied landscape. From granite hills we cross 

a limestone plain to the western coast and some very ancient rocks. From the black 

columnar basalt in the north, Peadar brings us south to red sandstones, formed when 

Munster was at the edge of a desert. There is a wealth of information here for everyone 

with an interest in rocks and the Irish landscape. 

page 27


Gold Frenzy: The Story of Wicklow Gold 

Price €20.00 

Peadar McArdle (2012). Gold has always been one of mankind’s enduring passions and 

long after the initial gold rush of the late 18th century, a belief persisted that enormous 

riches lay hidden in the Wicklow hills. In this entertaining and highly informative book, 

Peadar McArdle, former Director of the Geological Survey of Ireland, describes how the 

frenzy has never really died down, and to this day, panners hope to be rewarded by the 

glimmer of gold. 

Written in Stone DVD 

Price €25.00 

P. Kennan (1995). The Written in Stone television series was commissioned by GSI and 

broadcast on RTE in 1995 and again in 2006. A DVD and book were also produced as part 

of GSI’s celebration of 150th anniversary celebrations. The DVD describes the geology of 

Ireland, beautifully illustrated and explained by one of Ireland’s most renowned experts 

and greatest communicators in earth science, Dr. Pádhraig Kennan. 

Understanding Earth Processes, Rocks and the Geological History of Ireland 

Price €15.00 

A. Sleeman, B. McConnell & S. Gatley (2004). This publication which is a recommended 

text for Leaving Certificate Geography students, comprises a geological map which 

depicts the geography (i.e. distribution) of rocks of different ages and types at the present 

and the accompanying book, which gives a historical geography (paleogeography) of 

each Earth period, as shown in the map legend. 

Warships, U-Boats & Liners - A Guide to Shipwrecks Mapped in Irish Waters 

Price €25.00 

ISBN 9781406427035 

Authors: Karl Brady, Charise McKeon, James Lyttleton and Ian Lawlor Published: 

October 2012. Warships, U-Boats and Liners will appeal to both the specialist and 

general reader and will be an essential reference guide to anybody interested in maritime 

affairs, the two World Wars and Ireland’s past. It should help raise awareness generally of 

the need to protect and record the many different elements of our maritime heritage and 

lead to a better understanding of the maritime history of the island of Ireland. 

Sinkholes or dolines, after heavy rain, near Athenry Co. Galway, Photo source, 

Tobin Consulting Engineers 

page 28

Sinkholes Tellus Border Earthquake - Geological Survey of Ireland

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