What are your county colours? - A different way of looking at County Sligo
GEOLOGICAL Survey Ireland has published three beautiful, geophysical maps of County Sligo, showcasing the country from a completely new perspective.
The Sligo maps are the first in a series, with plans to release additional county maps each month this year.
The Tellus county maps (pictured) use colour to represent different properties of rock or millions of years in time.
The Tellus survey is a national programme designed to gather geochemical and geophysical data across Ireland, in other words, to examine the chemical and physical properties of our soil, rocks and water. Tellus is undertaken by Geological Survey Ireland and is funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate, and Communications.
Tellus involves two types of surveying: airborne geophysical surveying using a low-flying aircraft and ground-based geochemical surveying of soil, stream water and stream sediment. The Tellus plane conducting the surveys flies at a height of 60 metres.
Since 2011, the Tellus programme of Geological Survey Ireland — a division of the Department of the Environment, Climate, and Communications — has been collecting geophysical data via onboard instruments on low-flying aircraft. The data, showing the magnetic, electromagnetic, and radiometric properties of the land, has now been compiled into a series of county maps with explanations on the information shown and key facts on the findings.
Koen Verbruggen, director of Geological Survey Ireland, said: “Geologists and geophysicists have a way of looking at things, both in terms of time and space. They use colour to represent different properties of rock or millions of years in time.
“People may remember the aircraft flying low above their homes and might have wondered if there was anything unusual found in their county.
These maps are a chance to show the results in a form that’s accessible to all and to show people a different way to look at county Sligo.”
These maps showcase Sligo’s peat deposits across the Ox Mountains, as well as the area’s igneous and metamorphic rock locations. They reveal the presence of deep faults, providing a window into Ireland's complex geological past and diverse subsurface. Additionally, these maps highlight variations in soil types in the county.
Airborne geophysics is a cost-effective means of detecting the physical properties of soil, rock, and water beneath the ground. The data can be used for various purposes, for example, geological mapping, mineral exploration, radon risk mapping, and geothermal energy exploration through the understanding of the subsurface. The Tellus programme started in Northern Ireland, and it is planned that surveys of the island of Ireland will be completed by 2026.