Twelve large rocks, each from a different geological period, are placed along a meandering trail to tell the story. Minister Durkan said: “For its size, Northern Ireland is amongst the most geologically diverse areas of planet earth. Nearly all the geological time periods are represented here over almost 1 billion years of Earth’s history. In that time, what is now Northern Ireland, has experienced an enormous range of environmental conditions including erupting volcanoes, hot deserts, warm tropical seas and glaciers.
“A walk through this wonderful geological garden at Crawfordsburn is a walk through time and space. Using the expertise of geologists, the rocks themselves provide information on the conditions in which each rock was formed, while the associated planting includes examples of trees and other plants related to those from known fossils. I urge people to come and take a look at this fascinating garden and follow its journey through the distant past.”
The rocks were donated by working quarries. The garden also includes an artificial limestone ‘pavement’ to represent the story of our cave and limestone landscape features. A small section at the end considers the use of stone in society, past and present, and includes the latest addition to Northern Ireland’s archaeological record, a constructed Neolithic dolmen or portal tomb.
