Whight — Palceozoic Floor of North- East Ireland. 649 



Summary of Conclusions,,- 



We have thus found by studying the structure of the Paheozoic floor 

 outside the basalt plateau of north-eastern Ireland, projecting the lines of 

 folding and faulting into the interior of the plateau and correllating them 

 with lines of posthumous folding and faulting in the lavas and Mesozoic 

 rocks, that there are three principal areas where coal-bearing strata may be 

 expected to occur. These lie at the intersections of the transverse synclinal 

 troughs of the Bann Valley and North Channel with the trough valley and 

 the parallel synclines to the north of the Highland border ridge. The chief 

 of these doubly depressed basins is undoubtedly that beneath Lough Neagh. 

 We already know that it contains Coal Measures, and our analysis merely 

 helps to show the prohable extent of these, and indicate the localities where 

 boring is most likely to be successful. The seams which have been worked 

 near their outcrops at Coal Island are numerous, of considerable thickness, 

 and for the most part of excellent quality. There are altogether twelve 

 seams of 2 feet and over, aggregating altogether 43 feet of coal in 900 feet of 

 strata in the upper series of coals, and lower down two coals of over 4 feet at 

 considerable intervals. This is undoubtedly an exceptionally rich series of 

 coals ; and if they are found over even a quarter of the area which the analysis 

 seems to indicate, the resulting output will be sufficient to revolutionize the 

 whole industrial life of Ulster. One thing only seems to mar the splendour 

 of the prospect. The exposed portion of the field is greatly broken up by 

 faults, and a faulted field is difficult to work at great depths. Mr. Williams, 

 engineer to the Department for the Development of Mineral liesources, 

 is, however, of opinion, and I concur with him in this, that the faulting will 

 be far less severe and complicated in the middle of the basin than it is at the 

 margin. 



The area of Larue, where there is a possibility of the occurrence of Coal 

 Measures, is also highly faidted, and as here it is impossible to get beyond the 

 margin of the trough, the likelihood that this field can be developed in the 

 near future is not so great. In this connexion it should, however, be kept in 

 mind that Carboniferous strata appear to have been reached at a depth of 

 only 836 feet north of Carrickfergus. 



The North Antrim field does not promise a richness at all comparable 

 with that of the Lough Neagh basin, unless, indeed, it is found that the Coal 

 Measures proper are preserved there as well as the limestone coals. However, 

 even if only these latter are found, the presence of a four-foot seam of as good 

 quality as the Main Coal of Ballycastle over the very considerable area 

 indicated by the geological evidence would amply repay exploitation. It 



