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Earth Science Conservation Review
| Mourne Plain Complex - Glenloughan Pit | Down |
| Site number: | 442 | ||
| ESCC: | IS | ||
| Locality Type: | Pit | Status: | TBC |
| Grid Reference: | J32563169 End(s) of linear site | ||
| Google maps: | 54.21665,-5.96879 | ||
| County: | Down | Council area: | Newry, Mourne & Down District Council |
| Period: | Quaternary | ||
| Stages: | Late Midlandian | ||
| Site Description | |
|---|---|
| Description: | |
An exposure measuring 150m in length and 23m deep occurs at 90° to the ridge crest at (325600 316900), 500m west of where the moraine begins to trend east to west along the base of Rocky Mountain. Facies present at the site consist of three facies units. F1: Diamict F1 consists of a 5m thick sequence of poorly stratified, matrix-supported diamict beds (<30cm thick). Bedding planes are undulating and often bounded by sandy stringers or occasional sand beds (<25cm thick). Contacts are conformable and non-erosional. Clasts are dispersed and mainly (>95%) pebble sized. Two pods (~1.2m across) of chaotic pebbles which occur in a coarse sand matrix are bounded by crudely sorted cobble gravel. Pebble lags frequently mark bed contacts. F2: Interbedded sand and silt The diamict is overlain by interbedded sand and silt (F2) and sand and gravel (F3). The contact between F1 and F2 is obscured by slumped material. Four sand beds (0.5-1.0m thick) are separated by sharp contacts and are overlain by stratified sand and gravel. Beds dip towards the east (70°N). Silt lenses (<2cm thick) and rhythmically bedded, medium sand and silt (<30cm thick) occur in the sequence. Occasionally, sets of closely spaced high-angle normal faults record vertical displacements up to 5cm. F3: Tabular sand and gravel The F1 and F2 are both overlain directly in places along the section by up to 5m of interbedded pebble gravel beds with frequent cobbles (<10%), and thin (<2cm) beds of coarse to medium sand (F3). Gravel beds are up to 30cm thick, with welded contacts between gravel and sand beds. Grading structures consist of both fining up and coarsening up beds. Cobbles form discontinuous lags in the gravels. There is a weak pebble imbrication (a(t)), with clasts generally subhorizontal. Gravels are folded symmetrically in the uppermost 2m of the section. They are overlain by planar gravel beds. Two near vertical faults which extend 4m from the ridge crest into the gravel are up to 8cm wide and contain a fill of sandy diamict. Most clasts within the fill have vertical a-axis orientations. | |
| Notes: | |
For site specific information on other sand and gravel sites within the Mourne Plain Complex see the following sites: Key Site 441 - Cranfield Moraine Key Site 443 - Tullyframe Pit Key Site 444 - Moore Lodge Moraine Key Site 445 - Sandpiper Pit Key Site 446 - Kilkeel Cliff For overview information and references on the Mourne Plain Complex see the following site: Key Site 440 - Mourne Plain Complex - Overview For overview and site specific information on other sand and gravel sites within the Mourne Mountains area see the following sites: Key Site 447 - Attical Complex, Mourne Mountains - Overview Key Site 448 - Bloody Bridge River Valley Complex, Mourne Mountains - Overview Key Site 449 - Northeast Mournes Complex - Overview Key Site 450 - Western Mournes - Overview Key Site 451 - Annalong Valley For general information and references on the sand and gravel landscapes of N. Ireland, and for directions to sand and gravel sites other than those within the Mourne Mountains area, see the following site: Key Site 439 - Introduction to the Sand and Gravel Landscapes of N. Ireland | |
| Keywords | |
|---|---|
| Relations: | Glacial deposit, Glaciomarine deposit, Glaciotectonic |
| Geomorph: | ice lobe, moraine, outwash |
| Record type: | ESCR report | ||
| Entered by: | E M Porter | ||
| Enlander, I., Dempster, M. & Doughty, P., 2026. Mourne Plain Complex - Glenloughan Pit, County Down, site details. [In] Earth Science Conservation Review. https://www.habitas.org.uk/escr/site.php?item=442. Accessed on 2026-11-06. |
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