340 Kinahan— Ancient Sea Margins. 



S.S.W. of the Head, is 294 feet. The Ordnance heights on this 

 escarpment range from 290 to 320 feet ; below it there is a rocky 

 talus. 



Such are the conspicuous escarpments seen in the north-west of 

 the Burren. I shall now mention those that have been remarked in 

 some of the other mountain groups, and shall refer the reader to the 

 accompanying Tables, Nos. I. and II., in which all the well-marked 

 terraces in the group of hills at the south-west of Yar-connaught 

 and in Slieve-Aughta, are given. ^ 



On examining Table I. it wHl be seen that in Tar-connaught, 

 seven sets have been observed. The first is at about 130 feet, the 

 second at 300 feet, the third between 500 and 600 feet, the fourth 

 about 650 feet, the fifth about 750 feet, the sixth 900 feet, and the 

 seventh 1,070 feet. Of these the 300 feet escarpment is the best 

 marked, and next to it the 650 feet. The sixth and seventh were 

 only observed in one place, and the third is very irregular. 



In Slieve-Aughta, the mountain group that lies at the junction of 

 Clare and Galway, there are numerous cliffs, but unfortunately the 

 general surface of many slope at a high angle, and therefore very 

 little can be learnt from them. Those that are nearly horizontal are 

 noticed in Table II. 



On referring to this table it will be seen that there are seven 

 sets of escarpments, the lowest of which we may call number two, 

 as it corresponds to the second set of escarpments in Table I. 

 Number two is a little higher than 300 feet, number three is 

 between 500 and 600 feet, number four is about 650 feet, number 

 five is about 740 feet, number six is about 950 feet, number seven 

 about 1,060 feet, and number eight 1,200 feet. Numbers two, four, 

 and six are best developed ; number seven was only noticed on two 

 hills, and number eight only rn one neighbourhood, as the other hills 

 hereabouts are not of sufficient altitude. Number three, like its re- 

 presentative in Yar-connaught, is very irregular. 



In conclusion I shall refer to Table III, by which the terraces, 

 etc., north and south of Galway Bay, and those in Slieve-Aughta, 

 can be compared. 



In this table it will be seen that the sea-margins, respectively 

 300, 650, and 950 feet in altitude, are common to the three districts, 

 and that the most conspicuous escarpments in the Burren correspond 

 to those which, toward the north, are best developed in the south-east 

 mountain group of Yar-connaught, as well as to those which, some- 

 what further south-east, occur in Slieve-Aughta.^ 



^ In these tables, when possible, the height of the summit and base of the cliifs or 

 terraces have been extracted from the Ordnance Maps, and when they are well 

 marked, either at the base or summit, an asterisk has been put to the height. 



2 As I never had the time or opportunity of tracing out the various minor escarp- 

 ments that occur in the Burren Hills, I have purposely only mentioned those that are 

 conspicuous from the north shore of Galway Bay — the 130 foot escarpment could not 

 occur in Slieve-Aughta, as the base of that mountain group is above this level. 



