Ireland and Glaciers

Throughout Ireland, there is a bunch of evidence to support that there were glaciers on the island at one point.  Below are a couple of examples of the aftermath of a glacier melting. 

The first example of glacial activity in Ireland is the existence of large boulders in seemingly random locations. These boulders are called erratics. These are formed as a glacier expands and large rocks are moved by the glacier. As the glacier melts the rocks will be left behind making them look as though they were randomly placed.  

The image above is an erratic rock, it just appears in the middle of nowhere and seems random.

The next examples of glacial activity in Ireland are all of the small lakes found on the island.  These were formed as the glaciers melted, then pieces of the glacier broke off and were left behind. Often times the glaciers get left behind because they lie between hills or drumlins.  Once these left behind ice chunks melt, small lakes form.  

The lake above is a glacial lake.

The image above is of drumlins, or small hills. These are the things that chunks of ice get left behind in. Once the ice melts a glacial lake is formed.

The image above is a satellite image of Ireland.  All of the dark blue spots around the island are glacial lakes that formed once the ice melted.

The evidence of glacial activity directly affects the people in Ireland in the sense that these features are prime locations for tourists. Not to mention that they add positive features to the landscape.   Also, things like the erratic rocks are a good source of debate between religion and natural formation.



Clouds and Thunderstorms

                Something other than luck has to contribute to the large green landscape that Ireland is famous for. There is rain. Depending on the location, Ireland receives anywhere from 750 mm-2000 mm of rain per year. But how does rain form? What are the factors that go into a rain storm?

Before there can be rain, there needs to be clouds. Several different types of clouds result in the average of 150 rainy days that Ireland sees.  The most common type of cloud to be seen on a rainy day is a nimbostratus clouds.

A nimbostratus clouds like the ones above are considered low level clouds because they lie below 2000m. However if the clouds are larger, they can reach the med level range. Unlike many other clouds seen in the sky, nimbostratus clouds appear to be gray. The clouds are gray because they are carrying moisture, usually rain.

Nimbostratus clouds form when clouds from higher base height thicken and move lower.  Clouds like the altostratus above will do this.



Once these clouds are formed, then the rain can fall.

Through there is a lot of rain in Ireland, surprisingly there are few thunderstorms. But every now and then one will form.  Unstable air and moisture are the two main things needed for a thunderstorm to form.

The thunderstorm above was formed when the following happened:

1.       Warm air (in this case it could have been from a sea breeze) moves or is pushed up to higher levels.

2.       Downdrafts occur and rain begins to fall heavily.

3.       The rain will slow and the storm will dissipate.  

Sources Referenced and Pictures Taken from:

http://www.myguideireland.com/rainfall-in-ireland

Google images

Weathering and Mass Wasting

Though Ireland is filled with a variety beautiful landscapes, however these landscapes are slowly changing and disappearing due to weathering. Evidence of weathering in Ireland can be found on the Burren or “Great Rock.” Features like sinkholes are created in the karst landscape through a process called dissolution.. This area of Ireland contains a large amount of limestone. Carbonic acid is created within the atmosphere and combined with a calcium bicarbonate ion, which dissolves the limestone.  Found within the large karst landscape of Burren, are a series of caves also formed by dissolution.

Sinkholes, like the one in the orange circle above is an example of what happens when dissolution weathers away the landscape. A chemical process like this is possible due to joints (purple rectangle), or breaks within the rock. These allow for chemical and physical weathering to take place.

Image taken from: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://sb.westfordk12.us/pages/6mweb/6mss/travelpages/blue10/bcharlie/images/The_Burren.jpg&imgrefurl=http://sb.westfordk12.us/pages/6mweb/6mss/travelpages/blue10/bcharlie/index.html&usg=__AMDkY9YKVv994a4MZpxXYEQqDgQ=&h=1944&w=2592&sz=1378&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=fBJxjcyIbAmsHM:&tbnh=109&tbnw=150&ei=ehNwTemfNY704QaS37iEDQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dthe%2Bburren%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address%26biw%3D1189%26bih%3D534%

A cave in Burren, above, contains similar features to the previous landscape.

Image From: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/hotels/ireland/gregans/photos/cave3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/hotels/ireland/gregans/castle.html&usg=__Lwf_htu6t6MgaCLzFZZUhI0TP_g=&h=257&w=360&sz=48&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=ozb-qlB2Pwgz4M:&tbnh=116&tbnw=155&ei=UBZwTbqpHsnE4gbnlvm8BA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dburren%2Bcaves%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den

On a side note, evidence has been found to show that deforestation in earlier years helped spped along the process of weathering on the Burren.

A feature that is rarely seen across the Irish landscape is a mudslide. The results of these, seen below, occur when a there is a disturbance on a slope. The weak soil that then lies on top is carried downhill. Mudslides like these are problematic to people in the area because they can block roadways or even destroy homes.

Information from: http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/the_burren/burren_karst.htm

and http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0825/1224253194759.html

Volcanoes and Tectonic Plates

One of Ireland’s most exciting and mysterious landmarks is the Giant’s Causeway. Certain legends depict the origins, however volcanic processes are in fact the culprit. About 62 million years ago during the Tertiary period, three different lava flows covered the territory that is now Giant’s Causeway. This particular flow is known as a basalt flow because they cover a large area and are very thick. Another example of a basalt flow is the Antrim Plateau in Northern Ireland. These benefit the people living around them because it attracts tourists to the area.

Information taken from: http://www.northantrim.com/Causewayguide.htm, http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/geography/physical_landscape.html

A second interesting fact that many people do not know about Ireland is the fact that the island was once in two different pieces. About 450 million years ago the southern half of the island was located in the region that is now North America, and the northern half was on another plate. Over time Earth’s tectonic plates move and eventually the two plates that are now Ireland collided. 

 Antim Plateau

 Giant's Causeway

Tectonic Plates

images taken from google images

Information taken from: http://www.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/environment-geography/physical-landscape/Irelands-physical-landsca/the-formation-of-the-phys/ireland-and-plate-tectoni/

Introduction

My name is Kaytlin Ryan and the location that I have chosen for this assignment is the island of Ireland.  I have never been to Ireland, but I have always wanted to go.

 Ireland is located in the North-West corner of Europe and has a latitude of 53° 19' 59 and a longitude of -8° 0' 0". The island is the third largest island in Europe and the 20^th largest in the world. I chose Ireland because of the country’s vast landscape. Throughout the island there is a multitude of different geographical elements: rivers, miles of coastlines, a lunar landscape, and much much more. Throughout this assignment I hope to learn how and why the unique features of Ireland came to be.
Picture from: http://kaytlinryanandireland.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html