2. Our aims, as a group, were to work as a team to discover
the variety of geological and touristic sites along the
North Antrim Coast. Such sites include caves, cliffs and
beaches, which include both tourism and geology.
Our Aims
3. The Giant’s Causeway is the main tourist attraction in
Northern Ireland. It is well known for its Basaltic
Columns, which form the Causeway. These Columns
formed when molten basalt cooled in cracks to leave the
pillar-like columns. The Causeway is a great example of
both tourism and geology that we encountered on our
expedition.
The Giant’s Causeway
4. Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is a famous rope bridge on the
N.Antrim coast that links the mainland to the tiny island
of Carrickarede . The bridge is a tourist attraction and
people may cross it for a fee. It has over 200,000 visitors
each year. The small island of Carrickarede is one of the
best examples of a volcanic plug in Northern Ireland, and
due to erosion, a section of the old volcanic neck can be
seen.
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
5. Ballintoy is a small village located
between Ballycastle and Bushmills on
the North Antrim coast. The village
gets most of its revenue from small
restaurants and pubs due to the
increasing amount of tourism. The
rising tourism levels are a result of the
vast amount of beautiful scenery and
walking paths. The village was used
for the fictional town of Lordsport in
the second season of the popular TV
show Game of Thrones
Ballintoy
6. There is a lot of geological variation in
the North Antrim Coast, with rock
types such as Basalt in the giants
causeway and Limestone in many
caves. This diversity of rocks is a
primary reason for the mass tourism in
this part of Antrim and Northern
Ireland. Some rocks and geological
structures are a result of volcanic
activity such as The Causeway
Columns and The Carrick-a-rede island
(volcanic plug)
Geology and Tourism
