ESCR - Northeast Mournes Complex - Northeast Mournes Raised Beaches

Earth Science Conservation Review

Summary Full report
Northeast Mournes Complex - Northeast Mournes Raised Beaches	Down

Site number:	460
ESCC:	IS
Locality Type:	Coastal section, Inland exposure	Status:	TBC
Grid Reference:	J383236 Centroid
Google maps:	54.14329,-5.88362
County:	Down	Council area:	Newry, Mourne & Down District Council
Period:	Quaternary
Stages:	Late Midlandian

Site Description
Description:
Flat to gently sloping (<5°) terrain (<300m wide) between Dunmore Hill and Ballymartin Hill has a stepped profile, produced by notches trending subparallel to the coast. Between Dunmore Hill and Annalong coastal moraine ridges are truncated or notched at ca. 30m a.s.l. Between Mullartown and Annalong the gentle slopes are also notched at ca. 20m a.s.l. This notch is continuous south to 1km north of Ballymartin Hill, where it pinches out. These are late glacial marine notches and are analogous to similar notches on the Mourne Plain. They are the result of the interplay of glacioisostatic and glacioeustatic forces, and record coastal erosion of moraines following retreat northward of Late Midlandian ice along the coast. The bedrock high on which the Dunmore Hill moraine stands probably reduced the erosional impact at this point. The gap in the moraine west of Dunmore Hill may have been caused or accentuated by storm conditions. A notch (10m a.s.l.) cuts into late glacial beach deposits between Glasdrumman and Annalong and forms a discontinuous cliff (<8m high). At Donard Park almost flat terrain terminates at 10m a.s.l. by a gently sloping bench. Moraine ridges at Newcastle which trend normal to the coast are truncated by a notch at the same height. An exposure (J383236) in a degraded cliff contains stratified sand and gravel. Facies description The exposure (<3.5m thick) consists of tabular stratified beds (<30cm thick) of mainly pebble gravel and occasional coarse sand. Contacts are sharp and frequently erosional. Beds are laterally extensive and texturally uniform. Beds occasionally consist of seaward or landward dipping imbricate clasts, but are frequently chaotic. Clasts are generally well-rounded, with few discs. Some pebble beds contain frequent cobbles. Facies interpretation Well-sorted laterally continuous gravel beds and imbricate clasts are characteristic of beachface deposition (Clifton, 1973). Deposition is probably associated with backwash sheetflow. Rounded clasts are typical of lower beachface (Bougeois & Leithold, 1984). Cobble-rich beds are the result of more energetic wave conditions.
Notes:
For site specific information on other sites within the Northeast Mournes Complex see the following site: Key Site 459 - Northeast Mournes Moraines For overview information and references on the Northeast Mournes Complex see the following site: Key Site 449 - Northeast Mournes 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 440 - Mourne Plain Complex - Overview Key Site 447 - Attical Complex, Mourne Mountains - Overview Key Site 448 - Bloody Bridge River Valley Complex, Mourne Mountains - Overview Key Site 450 - Western Mournes Complex - Overview Key Site 451 - Annalong Valley For general information and references on the sand and gravel landscapes of N. Ireland, and directions to 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 743 - Mournes Coast Raised Beach.

Keywords
Geomorph:	raised beach


Record type:	ESCR report
Entered by:	E M Porter

Enlander, I., Dempster, M. & Doughty, P., 2026. Northeast Mournes Complex - Northeast Mournes Raised Beaches, County Down, site details. [In] Earth Science Conservation Review.
https://www.habitas.org.uk/escr/site.php?item=460. Accessed on 2026-11-08.