- The rocks of the Burren were formed around 330 million years ago.
- The Burren limestone was formed in a shallow tropical sea near the equator.
- Fossil corals, crinoids and brachiopods are common in the Burren limestone, they are also 330 million years old.
- The layers of rock that make the Cliffs of Moher were formed by rivers flowing into a sea, forming a delta like the Mississippi delta.
- The patterns in the Moher flagstones were made by an unknown creature burrowing just below the surface of sand layers on a shallow coast.
- The cracks in the limestone and the Cliffs of Moher were formed by plate tectonic collision almost 300 million years ago and have been enlarged by weathering.
- The gentle curves of the layers of limestone on Mullaghmore in the Burren National Park were also formed by tectonic collision almost 300 million years ago.
- During the last Ice Age c.200m thick flowing ice sheets shaped the valleys and hills of the Burren.
- The limestone in the Burren is dissolved by weakly acidic rain and groundwater, forming caves, so most of the water is underground.
- In 5 million years the Burren will have been dissolved completely.
https://www.burrengeopark.ie