228 



The Irish Naturalist, 

 IV.— GKOI.OGY. 



BY J. ST. J. PHII.I.IPS. 



[September, 1898. 



'• The geological structure of the Kenniare District," says Prof. Cole, 

 " is similar to that of the whole South of Ireland, and presents little ap- 

 parent complication. A long series of folds run east and west, from the 

 fjords of Kerry to Waterford, and, indeed, across Belgium into Central 

 Europe. The troughs or synclinals are occupied by Carboniferous Lime- 

 stone, often with Carboniferous Shale or Slate below ; while the ridges, 

 or anticlinals, are formed of arches of Old Red Sandstone. With a 

 simplicity of character comparable to that of the Jura Range, the anti- 

 cliuals have weathered out as long ranges of hills, while the synclinals 

 are channelled down as valleys. The rocks of the ridges that are visible 

 to the traveller are thus the older series, coming up from below along 

 the lines of folding. The Carboniferous strata once stretched uniformly 

 across them, and repeated their folds, having been crumpled with them 

 during the same earth -movements : now they have been worn away, 

 leaving only elongated patches as residues in the less exposed hollows." 



Section from Bantry Bay to Killarney. 

 A. Old lied Sandstone. B. Carbonil'erous Limestone preserved in synclinals. 



The massive folding of these Old Red Sandstone strata, as seen on the 

 steep side of Boughil and other mountains, were the subject of much 

 admiring comment ; but the beds are unfossiliferous, and yield nothing 

 to the palaeontologist. Out among the mountains to the north-east of • 

 Kenniare occurs an interCvSting series of volcanic rocks of the same age, 

 which I succeeded in visiting, and obtained many fine specimens of 

 flow rhyolites and felsites. 



Numerous striking evidences of severe glaciation were met with 

 in the district. In some places, as at Moll's Gap, 800 feet, (Plate 11), 

 and at Loo Bridge (Plate 3), the slate rocks are beautifully rounded. 

 Elsewhere, perched blocks of great size stand on the hill-sides, 

 lasting monuments of the Glacial Epoch. Two o^ the finest of these 

 were visited — Cloghvorragh, a huge block of limestone of 400 tons 

 weight, resting on the Old Red vSandstone hill of Knockeirka at an 

 elevation of 250 feet ; and Carrigacappeen, a very remarkable erratic 

 of Old Red grit, standing on a 6-foot pillar of Carboniferous Limestone, 

 a striking example of denudation by solution since the Glacial Epoch. 

 (Plate 13). 



Belfast. 



