Earth Science Conservation Review
| Linford karst | Antrim |
| Site Type: | Doline, Field, Karst |
| Site Status: | ASSI |
| Council area: | Mid and East Antrim District Council |
| Grid Reference: | D328071 |
| Google maps: | 54.89436,-5.93014 |
| Rocks | |
|---|---|
| Rock Age: | Cretaceous, Quaternary (Pleistocene, Holocene) |
| Rock Type: | Flint, Limestone |
| Interest | |
| Other interest: | Doline, Dry Valley, Sinkhole |
Summary of site:
Linford is a special place because of its important earth science interest. The area contains excellent examples of surface karst features not usually hosted on the rock type found in the site.
Karst is a term used for the distinctive features that form through the interaction of water and limestone. Rain and flowing water are able to dissolve the rock to create distinctive landforms.
Linford contains dolines (circular depressions), sinks (where water disappears below the surface) and a dry valley where water once flowed at the surface. These are especially notable as they appear on Cretaceous age limestone. In Antrim, these rocks are usually capped by basalt, sealing them off from the surface and the direct action of water. The basalt was likely removed during the last ice age as glaciers moved back and forth over the land surface. The dry valley also formed in cold conditions; when the ground was frozen the water would have been unable to sink and so would have flowed over the surface. The size of this feature suggests high flow from meltwater helped carve it out, although it is likely that some historic quarrying has taken place here.
Linford is also within an area of archaeological interest. It is possible there is a link between pre-historic human presence and the karst landforms.
Karst is a term used for the distinctive features that form through the interaction of water and limestone. Rain and flowing water are able to dissolve the rock to create distinctive landforms.
Linford contains dolines (circular depressions), sinks (where water disappears below the surface) and a dry valley where water once flowed at the surface. These are especially notable as they appear on Cretaceous age limestone. In Antrim, these rocks are usually capped by basalt, sealing them off from the surface and the direct action of water. The basalt was likely removed during the last ice age as glaciers moved back and forth over the land surface. The dry valley also formed in cold conditions; when the ground was frozen the water would have been unable to sink and so would have flowed over the surface. The size of this feature suggests high flow from meltwater helped carve it out, although it is likely that some historic quarrying has taken place here.
Linford is also within an area of archaeological interest. It is possible there is a link between pre-historic human presence and the karst landforms.
| Enlander, I., Dempster, M. & Doughty, P., 2024. Linford karst, County Antrim, site summary. [In] Earth Science Conservation Review. https://www.habitas.org.uk/escr/summary.php?item=1276. Accessed on 2024-12-26 |
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