River flowing into swallow hole Other rock (mainly shale) Limestone
Burren National Park Poll na gColm Ballyvaughan Aillwee Caves Slieve Elva Mullaghmore
Cliffs of Moher
Kilfenora Corofin
Weathering by carbonation has made a unique and interesting landscape in the Burren. Both on the surface and below the ground, there are features formed by carbonation.
Surface Features Limestone Pavement
The bare, rocky karst surface is called a limestone pavement. The pavement is made up of clints and grikes . Clints
Grikes 8. Clints and grikes
Can you find a clint and a grike on the photograph?
7. The Burren Galway Bay
Clints are the slabs of rock on the surface that separate the grikes.
Grikes are deep grooves in the pavement. They become weathered, widened and deepened by carbonation.
Limestone pavements can be flat or contain sloping terraces. Terraces are areas of sloping land that look like steps. The terraces can be separated by steep cliffs.