Geological Survey of Northern Ireland

13/09/2026

🪨💧 International Day of Caves and Karst

Today marks the very first International Day of Caves and Karst, following its approval by UNESCO in 2025.

This new international observance highlights the importance of caves and karst landscapes — remarkable geological environments shaped by the interaction of water, rock and time. They are important not only for understanding landscape evolution and the geological record, but also for groundwater resources, biodiversity and cultural heritage.

NI has an impressive variety of karst features, developed in rocks ranging from Carboniferous limestone to Cretaceous Ulster White Limestone.

📍 Marble Arch–Marlbank, Co. Fermanagh
One of NI’s best-developed karst landscapes, where Carboniferous limestone hosts an extensive cave system and underground drainage network, including the world-famous Marble Arch Caves.

📍 Boho, Co. Fermanagh
A landscape of caves, limestone gorges, sinking streams and other karst features. Boho Cave itself is a joint-controlled maze developed within Carboniferous limestone.

📍 Black Burn, Co. Antrim
An active cave system developed in the Cretaceous Ulster White Limestone. Here, surface water sinks underground where the Black Burn crosses the contact between basalt and limestone, demonstrating how geology influences the movement of water through the landscape.

📍 Linford, Co. Antrim
A notable example of surface karst, with dolines, sinks and a dry valley developed in limestone beneath the Antrim Plateau.

📍 Drumarg, Co. Armagh
A Carboniferous limestone cave system demonstrating that karst development extends beyond the better-known cave landscapes of Fermanagh and Antrim.

📍 Binnawooda, Co. Tyrone
An unusual example of karst developed in calcareous sandstone — recognised as the only known example of sandstone karst in NI.

From extensive underground cave systems to subtle features in the landscape, karst records the long-term interaction between bedrock, groundwater and geological processes.

On this inaugural International Day of Caves and Karst, we’re celebrating the geology beneath our feet — and the fascinating world hidden below the surface. 🔎🪨💧

Photos: Marlbank karst, Co. Fermanagh; Boho Cave, Co Fermanagh; Black Burn, Co. Antrim; subtle karst landscape at Linford, Co. Antrim.

09/09/2026

🌎👩‍🔬⛏️Are you Interested in science, the environment, or discovering what's beneath our feet? 🌋🪨👷

The British Geological Survey (BGS) and British Antarctic Survey (BAS) are offering a free virtual work experience programme for young UK residents aged 14-18.

📅 26-30 October 2026
💻 Online via Zoom
📝 Applications open now until 25 September 2026

Expect interactive challenges, mentoring, and sessions with scientists and professionals from BGS and BAS!

✅Explore careers in geoscience and environmental science ✅Develop valuable teamwork, problem solving and communication skills
✅ Meet researchers and industry professionals
✅ Hear from past participants about their career journeys
✅ Learn how science is helping tackle environmental and societal challenges

Whether you're studying at school or college, or currently not in education, this is a fantastic opportunity to gain experience, build confidence and discover where a future in science could take you.

We're committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming programme and encourage applications from students of all backgrounds, especially those currently under-represented in STEM.

⚠️ Places are limited to 60 students, so don't miss out!
For more information: https://www.bgs.ac.uk/about-bgs/working-with-us/work-experience/
To apply: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf9A4DYYU9Fvg29n_fSNHiPuKq1wM92CjbUFfRhPnPTQpsyiA/viewform

07/09/2026

🎉🎉 A triple success for GSNI, with our work featured in three shortlisted entries at the 2026 All-Ireland Sustainability Awards 🎉🎉

This year's awards have attracted a record number of entries, with 178 submissions received and more than 90 organisations shortlisted, making it the most competitive year yet.

Our nominations recognise GSNI's commitment to delivering science that supports sustainable development, climate resilience, responsible resource management and evidence-based decision making across NI.

Being shortlisted is a fantastic achievement and reflects the dedication, expertise and hard work of colleagues across GSNI and our partners.

We look forward to joining sustainability leaders from across the island of Ireland at the awards ceremony and wish all finalists the very best of luck.

🏆 Shortlisted Categories:

✅ Education for Sustainability — GSNI
✅ One to Watch — Michael MacKenzie, GSNI
✅ Green Marketing & Stakeholder Engagement — GeoEnergyNI, Department for the Economy

05/09/2026

🎶🍴 GSNI are at Eats & Beats this weekend! 🍴🎶

We’re delighted to be at the Eats & Beats Festival in Newcastle this weekend alongside Newry Mourne and Down District Council and the Mourne Gullion Strangford Geopark Team. Over the next 2 days we’ll be talking to festival-goers about our CoCOR project – Co Creating Coastal Resilience. 🌊🤝

💚 So, what is CoCOR all about?

CoCOR is exploring how we can work together to better understand and build coastal resilience. As part of the project, Tyrella Beach is being used as a site for monitoring coastal change through citizen science.

📸 Using CoastSnap, members of the public can help monitor how the coastline is changing over time by taking photographs from a designated location at the beach. These images contribute to a growing dataset that helps us understand changes to the coastline and supports research into coastal resilience.

🌊 Your photos can help tell the story of our changing coastline!

If you’re at Eats & Beats this weekend, come along and say hello to the GSNI team. Find out more about CoCOR, CoastSnap and how you can get involved in monitoring coastal change at Tyrella Beach.

17/08/2026

🌊 Join us for Marine Mammal Discovery Day at Tyrella Beach 🦭

Come along to Tyrella Beach for a few hours of activities exploring our amazing marine environment — and meet the COCOR team from GSNI!

As part of the event, we’ll be out on the beach to:

📍 Tell you about the COCOR project (https://www.ukcoastalresilience.org/project/co-creating-coastal-resilience-combining-research-and-citizen-science-to-monitor-nature-based-solutions-cocor ) and our work monitoring coastal change
📸 Show you our CoastSnap cradle and how you can help us monitor the coast
📡 Get hands-on with our survey equipment
💬 And, of course, chat about our coast and answer your questions!

Come and say hello, get involved and discover more about the coast on your doorstep.

📅 Marine Mammal Discovery Day 11:00 - 13:00
📍 Tyrella Beach
👉 Find out more about the event: https://www.visitmournegullionstrangford.com/whats-on/marine-mammal-discovery-day-tyrella-beach-beach-activities-p970621?utm_source=chatgpt.com

16/06/2026

It all went a bit mad yesterday when we put out a press release on new research we've been leading on focused on NI's volcanic geology. With 100s of media articles over the past 24 hours it's been fantastic to see the high interest in the geology of NI and the role that it plays in international geoscientific research. but what was it all about?

Research led by GSNI and and the British Geological Survey has changed our scientific understanding of NI's volcanic past including the Giant’s Causeway, revealing that that volcanic rocks of the region formed in just 5.5 million years – this is 8 million years less than previous estimates.

Using state of the art techniques, our scientists have been able to reconstruct a new timeline for volcanic activity across NI. It now firmly connects the Earth processes that caused the development of the Giant’s Causeway and the broader Antrim Plateau area, along with the Mourne Mountains and Slieve Gullion, to a globally significant volcanic event seen in rocks as far away as Greenland and known as the North Atlantic Igneous Province around 60 million years ago.

You can click into the link for more detailed information and to the research paper in full.

New research has revealed that Northern Ireland’s volcanic past occurred over a much shorter period than previously thought.

23/04/2026

This week, we were privileged to host the recent in-person meeting of the EuroGeoSurveys GeoHeritage Expert Group (GhEG), together with Geological Survey Ireland.

GSNI currently Chairs the GhEG which exists to share knowledge and best practice on the identification, assessment, conservation, and management of geoheritage sites.

The meeting took place in and was facilitated by the Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark. Site visits took in numerous Geopark locations including Marble Arch Caves and Cavan Burren Park as well as a sneak preview of the new visitor centre at the Shannon Pot.

08/04/2026

The fourth webinar in the 2026 Northern Ireland Geothermal Webinar Series is taking place on Thursday 23rd April at 16:00 BST.

Prof. Gioia Falcone, Rankine Chair of Energy Engineering at the University of Glasgow will provide an overview of the THERMOCAL project, which aims to systematically acquire a substantial empirical thermogeological data set across the terranes of the Caledonian Orogen, and associated plutons and Precambrian basement, in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Norway.

Register via the Eventbrite link below:

📅 Thursday 23rd April
🕓 16:00-17:00 BST
➡ https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1986971036859

20/03/2026

GSNI’s Chief Geologist Prof Mark Cooper helped facilitate a fantastic geology field trip this month for a group of 30 University College Dublin undergraduate students.

The students and academic staff enjoyed a week long fieldtrip, taking in some of Northern Ireland’s most iconic geological sites, including Murlough Bay, Ballintoy, Portrush, the Giant’s Causeway, Larne, and Slieve Gullion.

It’s brilliant to see the next generation of geoscientists exploring our landscapes and learning in the field 🌍🔍

13/03/2026

The third webinar in the 2026 Northern Ireland Geothermal Webinar Series is taking place on Thursday 26th March at 16:00 GMT.

Jeremy Carkner, Senior Project Manager (Sustainability) at the daa will outline Dublin Airport's recent geothermal feasibility study and how ground-source heating and cooling could help cut its Scope 1 emissions.

Register via the Eventbrite link below:

📅 Thursday 26th March
🕓 16:00-17:00 GMT
➡ https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1985060169403