Cliffs of Moher: Geo-Education

A visit to the Cliffs of Moher brings you to one of Ireland’s most iconic coastal landscapes. At the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience you can learn about the formation of these famous cliffs; why they are of such international importance in terms of natural and geological heritage; and why the cliffs are a Special Protection Area – especially because of the important colonies of birds that can be seen nesting and flying beneath the cliff edges.

The Cliffs of Moher are made up of layer upon layer of hardened sand, silt and mud. These sedimentary rock layer rest upon an older seqeunce of limestone rocks (the Burren’s Carboniferous limestones), with a thin layer of shale is sandwiched in between Cliffs of Moher rocks and the Burren limestones.

The flagstones quarried in the landscape nearby the cliffs are famous for the impressions on the rock face – which are called trace fossils (tracks left by a sea creature over 300 million years ago!)

Photos

Download Information Sheets Here:

Activity 1 Infosheet: The Rocks of the Cliffs of Moher

• How Rocks are formed – Download Infosheet 5 – How Rocks are Formed
• How the Rocks of the Cliffs of Moher formed – Download InfoSheet 7 – Shale and Siltstone

Activity 2 Infosheet: Fossils

• Fossils of the Burren & Cliffs of Moher – Download InfoSheet 8 – Fossils
  

Activity 4 Infosheet: Tsunami Alert

• Tsunami off the Burren Coast – Download InfoSheet 12 – 1755 Lisbon Earthquake
  

Download Student Worksheets Here:

Activity 1 Worksheets: The Rocks of the Cliffs of Moher

• Rocks of the Burren & North Clare – Download Worksheet 4 – Rocks
• Rocks of the Burren Word Puzzle – Download Worksheet 5 – Burren Rocks

Activity 2 Worksheets: Fossils

• Fossils of the Burren & Cliffs of Moher – Download Worksheet 10 – Fossils

Activity 3 Worksheets: Earthquakes of the World

• Where does the Earth quake? – Download Worksheet 11 – Earthquakes

Activity 4 Worksheets: Tsunami Alert

• How Tsunamis Happen – Download Worksheet 12 – Tsunamis
• Tsunami off the Burren Coast- Download Worksheet 13 – 1755 Lisbon Earthquake

More Geology Maps & Worksheets:

Learn about the Geology Map of the Ireland:

• Geology Map of Ireland
• Geology Map of Ireland – Worksheet
• Geology Map of Ireland (Detailed)

Learn about the Geology Map of the Burren:

• Geology Map of the Burren
• Geology Map of the Burren – Worksheet

View/download photograph sideshow (PDF) of the Cliffs of Moher:

• Cliffs of Moher Slideshow

Cliffs of Moher GPS Coordinates

• 52.972114°     -9.425305°