Geology and Wind Farms in Northern Ireland

Holly Rodgers from our Geoarchaeological & Environmental team has just got back from a three day Engineering Geology field trip to Northern Ireland, where she has been exploring some of the geological issues which can affect the development of wind farms.

 

Along the way they were able to see much of the diverse Quaternary deposits and bedrock geology of Northern Ireland around the Lagan Valley, Antrim Coastline (including the Giant’s Causeway, the photograph shows the basalt columns of the Causeway) and Sperrin Mountains. In this stunning scenery a broad range of geological and glacial landforms were encountered, including drumlins, eskers and Pleistocene channels associated with glacial advance and retreat.

 

As well as windfarm development, solutions for floating roads over peat deposits were explored, as was the urban 3D deposit model for Northern Ireland.