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Earth Science Conservation Review
| Mourne Plain Complex - Kilkeel Cliff | Down |
| Site number: | 446 | ||
| ESCC: | IS | ||
| Locality Type: | Coastal section | Status: | TBC |
| Grid Reference: | J32963126,J33163140 End(s) of linear site, Not Entered | ||
| Google maps: | 54.21295,-5.96284 | ||
| County: | Down | Council area: | Newry, Mourne & Down District Council |
| Period: | Quaternary | ||
| Stages: | Late Midlandian | ||
| Site Description | |
|---|---|
| Description: | |
Between Nicholsons Road (329600 312600) and Kilkeel Harbour (331600 314000), a 1.5-4m thick sequence of stratified sand and gravel overlies diamict in a continuous cliffline 2.6km long and up to 14m high. Because of the great lateral extent of the sand and gravel deposits, a composite description will be given. Facies description. The sand and gravel consists of tabular, low angle cross- stratified fine to medium grained sand beds, and tabular to interbedded sand and gravel. A sharp, planar junction occurs below the gravel at the contact with the underlying mainly diamict facies. Between Nicholsons Road and Crawford's Point the contact with underlying diamict and mud is marked for 500m by a discontinuous line of glacially bevelled cobbles and boulders. Clasts generally have a horizontal a-axis orientation, some with a randomly striated upper surface. At other locations, a unit of continuous tabular stratified sand (<2m thick) consists of occasionally massive, and frequently horizontal, cross- or hummocky cross-stratified sand beds (<30cm thick) with planar to undulating contacts. Sand commonly contains gravel lenses, particularly near the top of the facies. There are occasional small crosscutting channels (<1m across). The sand is overlain by generally well-sorted stratified sand and gravel with a tabular geometry (<3.5m thick). Beds (<50cm thick) are laterally continuous (10-100m), and are texturally uniform. The exposure shows an overall coarsening upward trend, and uppermost beds are frequently composed of clast supported cobbles. Cobble beds (<1m thick) are massive. The most extensive beds are of clast to matrix supported pebbles, with disc and blade forms dominant. Low angle cross stratification and channels occasionally occur within the gravel beds. Stacked beds (<15cm thick) of normally graded gravel, with clasts up to cobble size, alternate with beds of coarse sand (<15cm thick), with a total depth up to 2m. | |
| 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 442 - Glenloughan Pit Key Site 443 - Tullyframe Pit Key Site 444 - Moore Lodge Moraine Key Site 445 - Sandpiper Pit 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 This site is also a Site of Local Nature Conservation Importance. See Key Site 733 - Kilkeel Cliff. | |
| Keywords | |
|---|---|
| Relations: | Glacial deposit, Glaciomarine deposit, Glaciotectonic |
| Geomorph: | ice lobe, moraine ridge, outwash, raised beach |
| Record type: | ESCR report | ||
| Entered by: | E M Porter | ||
| Enlander, I., Dempster, M. & Doughty, P., 2026. Mourne Plain Complex - Kilkeel Cliff, County Down, site details. [In] Earth Science Conservation Review. https://www.habitas.org.uk/escr/site.php?item=446. Accessed on 2026-11-06. |
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