Geology

Sites of geological interest in Kildare or County Geological Sites are also listed in the County Development Plan. Many of the County Geological Sites are currently being assessed by the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) for designation as NHAs.

County Kildare is a place with a subtle but distinctive landscape compared to parts of western Ireland or adjoining Wicklow for example. The bedrock foundation, with hundreds of millions of years in the formation and shaping, and the more recent history of geomorphological processes such as river  channels and glaciers are what has created that underlying geodiversity. Geological understanding and interpretation is best done on the ground at sites where the rocks and landforms are displayed. County Kildare has a range of such natural and man-made sites.

The Geological Heritage of Kildare

An audit of County Geological Sites in Kildare

by Matthew Parkes  and Aaron Sheehan-Clarke

September 2005

This report documents what are currently understood to be the most important geological sites within Kildare by the Irish Geological Heritage Programme of the Geological Survey of Ireland. A selection of the sites described in this report are considered to be of national importance as best representative examples of particular geological formations or features. They either have been, or will be, formally proposed by the Geological Survey of Ireland, for designation as NHAs by the National Parks and Wildlife Service after due survey and consultation with landowners.

View Executive Summary       CLICK HERE

Report Available for Download soon

Irish Thermal Springs  (also known as warm springs) are unique ecological features (29 sites in Ireland) and occur in unusual geological settings where groundwater which is warmer than normal (12 ^oC) rises up through limestone catchments and issues at the surface as a geothermal spring.