| Previous Site | Next Site |
Earth Science Conservation Review
| Carnaneigh - Structural | Antrim |
| Site number: | 650 | ||
| Locality Type: | Inland exposure | Status: | local interest |
| Grid Reference: | D256365 Centroid | ||
| Google maps: | 55.16015,-6.02937 | ||
| County: | Antrim | Council area: | Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council |
| Period: | Precambrian | ||
| Stages: | Dalradian | ||
| Lithostrat: | Carnaneigh Green Beds, Runabay Head Formation, Southern Highlands Group | ||
| Site Description | |
|---|---|
| Introduction: | |
The Carnaneigh site comprises a series of rocky knolls situated on the SE slope of Carnaneigh. Access is from the Torr Road in Aughnasillagh Townland about 4km north of Cushendun (Fig. 17). The site contains readily accessible outcrop and provides an opportunity to study a variety of fold types in the Carnaneigh Green Bed Member of the Runabay Formation. | |
| Description: | |
The site contains abundant in situ outcrop and slumped blocks of pale grey and green quartz-chlorite-biotite schist interbedded with albite-biotite schist and gritty quartz-biotite psammitic schist. Stratigraphically, these strata form part the Carnaneigh Green Bed Member of the Runabay Head Formation (Southern Highland Group, Upper Dalradian). This is a persistent volcaniclastic (green beds) marker, which marks the stratigraphic base of the Runabay Formation. The rocks at Carnaneigh lie on the inverted limb of the regional recumbent anticline, which controls the disposition of Dalradian strata throughout NE Antrim. Green beds directly north of Lignadaughtan and SE of Carnaneigh summit dip ESE at about 25°. In places they are intensely deformed with many small-scale intrafolial folds and disharmonic structures. Some larger (metre-scale) flat-lying folds are also present and these have a well-developed spaced axial-planar cleavage (S2?). The deformation described above was accompanied by relatively low-grade regional metamorphism and the rocks contain mineral assemblages indicative of the quartz-albite-muscovite-chlorite subfacies of the Greenschist Facies. | |
| Notes: | |
For general information on the Structural Geology of Northern Ireland, directions to other Structural Geology sites and an extensive reference list see Key Site 641 - Introduction to the Structural Geology of N. Ireland. See also Key Site 160 - Carnaneigh [Precambrian Stratigraphic block]. | |
| Keywords | |
|---|---|
| Minerals: | Biotite, Chlorite |
| Rocks: | Psammite, Schist |
| Structures: | anticline, cleavage, fold, disharmonic folds |
| Access | |
|---|---|
| Approach: | Access is from the Torr Road in Aughnasillagh Townland about 4km north of Cushendun (Fig. 17). |
| Record type: | ESCR report | Recorded by: | T.P. Johnston |
| Entered by: | E M Porter | ||
| Last updated: | 23/09/03 | ||
| Enlander, I., Dempster, M. & Doughty, P., 2026. Carnaneigh - Structural, County Antrim, site details. [In] Earth Science Conservation Review. https://www.habitas.org.uk/escr/site.php?item=650. Accessed on 2026-11-06. |
| Previous Site | Next Site |