Earth Science Conservation Review

Summary Full report
Greencastle Bay middle beach, Carlingford Lough - CarboniferousDown
Trough cross-bedded, oolitic, calcareous sandstones and oolitic limestones with erosional bases.
Site Type: Coastal section
Site Status: ASSI
Council area: Newry & Mourne District Council
Grid Reference: J253114
Google maps: 54.03708,-6.08747
Rocks
Rock Age: Carboniferous (Arundian, Visean)
Rock Name: Carlingford Limestone Group
Rock Type: Limestone, Oolitic limestone, Sand, Sandstone
Interest
Fossil Groups: Brachiopod, Crinoid, Plant
Other interest: cross-bedding, ripple marks, Marine sediments

Summary of site:

In the middle beach at Greencastle, between Greencastle Point and Soldiers Point, there are two exposures, both of lime-rich sandstones, sandy limestones and oolitic limestones (limestones with almost spherical grains of concentric layers of calcium carbonate). Sedimentary structures include eroded bed bases, cross bedding, rippled surfaces and fine, parallel laminations. Lenses of grit and fine pebbles contain fragmentary fossils including carbonized plant debris. The pebbles originate from a wide variety of local sources and include reworked limestone, Silurian greywacke and coarse-grained igneous rocks.

The rocks belong to the Arundian stage of the Carboniferous period, making them about 345 million years old.

 Enlander, I., Dempster, M. & Doughty, P., 2025. Greencastle Bay middle beach, Carlingford Lough - Carboniferous, County Down, site summary. [In] Earth Science Conservation Review.
https://www.habitas.org.uk/escr/summary.php?item=296. Accessed on 2025-02-17

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