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Earth Science Conservation Review
| North Star Colliery - Ballycastle Coalfield | Antrim |
| Site number: | 288 | File Number: | D14 |
| ESCC: | EC | ||
| Locality Type: | Coastal section | Status: | ESCR |
| Grid Reference: | D14244172 Centroid | ||
| Google maps: | 55.2096,-6.20603 | ||
| County: | Antrim | Council area: | Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council |
| Period: | Carboniferous | ||
| Stages: | Visean | ||
| Site Description | |
|---|---|
| Highlights: | |
Despite the geological interest in the Ballycastle area for over 200 years, including three investigations by the Geological Survey and visits by innumerable student and academic groups, the first goniatites ever collected from that area were only discovered in 1973 and all come from one unique horizon and locality. | |
| Introduction: | |
Biozones, based on the distribution of ammonoids are globally applicable and in the late Dinantian, as in the overlying Namurian, they provide the highest biostratigraphical resolution of any fossil group. Because of the detailed lithostratigraphical information available for this coalfield the goniatite horizon is precisely known and provides an accurate datum level upon which to judge other biostratigraphical information. Location: The samples were collected from near the base of the vertical sandstone cliffs exposed at the SW end of the North Star Colliery, 250m NNE of Corrymeela. Bibliographic Review and General Geology: Wilson and Robbie (1966, p.111-119) described in detail the stratigraphy of the Main Limestone Group and the succeeding rocks up to the Main Coal amounting to about 43m (143 feet) of strata. They refer to the outcrop of the Main Limestone some 150 yds (136m) NE of Doon and to the nature of the overlying marine shales and cliff-forming sandstones. The goniatite locality is located in the cliff about 20m SE of the outcrop of the limestone at the spur located NE of Doon. Wilson and Robbie (p.116) also noted the occurrence of pyritous nodules in the sandstone and it is the nodular appearance of the goniatite horizon that emphasises its distinctiveness in a cliff that is otherwise formed of thin-bedded micaceous sandstones. It is thus quite possible that those authors collected a fauna from this horizon, either in the same cliff near Doon, or on the foreshore, just west of the North Star Dyke (1966, p.111) but the assemblage did not include goniatites. | |
| Description: | |
The 0.2m of dark grey shales and the 0.2m of limestone at the base of the section containing the goniatite horizon represent the highest beds in the Main Limestone Group and the succeeding 1.28m of strata are transitional between the fully marine shales and limestones below and the deltaic sandstones with coals above, culminating in the Main Coal. Some 15 goniatite specimens were recovered from the bed. Whilst most of them are widely scattered there is an exceptional accumulation of 10 internal moulds of adult specimens on one piece of sandstone measuring 0.1 x 0.06m. The fauna consists of the following forms: Sudeticeras spp. (dominant), cf. Sudeticeras adeps (1 specimen) and Euchondria sp. (pectinid bivalve). The goniatite Sudeticeras occurs in the Brigantian Stage of the Vis‚an and Pendleian Stage of the Namurian from P1c to E1a. It is, however, rare in the Namurian and may be confused with other forms. A Sudeticeras fauna with numerous conches, but exclusive of other genera, suggests a P2b-c age. Sudeticeras species are mainly defined using ornament characters - most species being compressed pachycones. However, one species, S. adeps, has a distinct stout globose conch and one specimen from Ballycastle fits this description. Unfortunately none of the specimens show ornament features and hence greater precision in determination of these samples is not possible. S. adeps is one member of a profuse fauna of species of Sudeticeras that are confined to the P2b (late Brigantian) Ammonoid Biozone. Samples of the calcareous sandstone in which the goniatites occur were examined for foraminifera but the fauna is very poor and only fragments of Archaediscus were present. The petrography of the sandstone was much more interesting however and consisted of a quartz, muscovite, phlogopite, biotite-rich facies which would indicate a close proximity to volcanic activity. In the Ballycastle area basalt lavas and pyroclastic rocks predate the goniatite horizon and occur about 240m lower in the sequence. Nevertheless evidence of late Vis‚an (? Brigantian) volcanic activity is common in the Midland Valley of Scotland and in Northern Ireland, at the northern margin of the Fintona Block. | |
| Notes: | |
For information on other sites in Subarea-9 see Key Site 1182 - Subarea-9; Ballycastle. | |
| Keywords | |
|---|---|
| Rocks: | Deltaic sandstone, Limestone, Sand, Sandstone, Shale |
| Fossil Groups: | Goniatite |
| Fossil List: | Sudeticeras spp. |
| Relations: | Deltaic sediments, Marine sediments |
| Access | |
|---|---|
| Approach: | North Star Colliery, 250m NNE of Corrymeela. |
| References (1) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson, H.E. & Robbie, J.A., 1966. Geology of the country around Ballycastle. Memoirs of the Geological Survey Northern Ireland. | |||
| Map(s): | GSNI (1963) 1:63,360 Solid Geology of Sheet 8 (Ballycastle). | ||
| Record type: | ESCR report | ||
| Entered by: | Doughty, P.J. | ||
| Enlander, I., Dempster, M. & Doughty, P., 2026. North Star Colliery - Ballycastle Coalfield, County Antrim, site details. [In] Earth Science Conservation Review. https://www.habitas.org.uk/escr/site.php?item=288. Accessed on 2026-11-08. |
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