| Site Type: | Coastal section, Roadside section |
| Site Status: | local interest |
| Council area: | Larne Borough Council |
| Grid Reference: | J485971 |
| Google maps: | 54.80019,-5.69078 |
| Rocks |
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| Rock Age: | Tertiary (Palaeogene) |
| Rock Name: | Antrim Lava Group, Lower Basalt Formation |
| Rock Type: | Basalt |
| Interest |
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| Minerals: | Analcime, Calcite, Chabazite, Gobbinsite, Natrolite, Zeolites, Heulandite, Levyne, Cowlesite, Mesolite, Gonnardite, Travertine |
| Other interest: | amygdales |
The lay-by on the Gobbins Road due east of Hill's Port, opposite the lane descending to the shore, is a convenient place to park and is also of mineralogical interest. The 6m high roadcut exposes the uppermost part of a basaltic flow within the Lower Basalt Formation (Palaeogene), which is increasingly amygdaloidal upwards and is overlain by the basal massive part (1m thick) of another flow. Natrolite and analcite are the dominant zeolite species, and samples can be obtained from loose boulders and cobbles at the base of the cliffs. The shore at Hill's Port is accessible on foot. The Gobbins cliff and waterfall form impressive features north of Hill's Port. By going through the short tunnel next to the carving of ‘Gobbins Path' and following the path around a small headland, a rocky bay is reached where the path has been destroyed by erosion and landslips. Boulders in this area (some 10m2 in extent) are of amygdaloidal basalt containing a wide variety of zeolite minerals: analcime, chabazite, cowlesite, gonnardite, gobbinsite, heulandite, levyne and mesolite have been observed. Some vesicles also contain calcite and travertine.
