Geology In Clare
In the northern part of Clare (Self Catering, Clare, Ireland) the magnificent terraced mountains of the Burren are carved out of horizontally bedded limestone. This rock is also exposed in a band some 12 miles wide running south through and to the east of Ennis and reaching the Shannon. South and west of the limestone, area are large exposures of Carboniferous sandstone. Perhaps the most striking of these is to be found in the long range of the cliffs of Moher. These vertical cliffs of horizontally bedded 
sandstone are perhaps the finest in the British Isles. At the northern end, near O’Briens Tower, one may lie on the edge of the cliff and drop a pebble into the Atlantic 600 ft. below. At Kilkee we have also magnificent cliff scenery, and here some of the surfaces of the sandstones exhibit excellent examples of ripple marks. In North Clare we have a large area of bare limestone in which meteoric agencies have carved out the magnificent natural terraces of the Burren. Drifts occur in the valleys and are largely made up of limestone detritus, with some pebbles and blocks of Galway granite. Further south limestone, blocks are associated with sandstone and shale.
