Geology Was County Clare once part of Connaught and if so should it join Connaught again? For "About 500 million years ago Laurentian, Avalonian, Baltican and Siberian land masses were separated by the Iapetus ocean. This ocean closed during the Silurian (450 million year ago) with the collision of Laurentia and Avalonia, marking the end of the Caledonian Orogeny and the formation of the Appalachian mountains in the US. The Iapetus Suture Zone is believed to mark the location of this continental collision and has a NE-SW orientation and may be traced through central Ireland (from the Shannon estuary) into southern Scotland - northern England." Ref: Dr Eve Daly (Earth and Ocean Sciences, NUI Galway) This is illustrated in the diagram below: You might also like to check out: Animated History of Avalonia in Neoproterozoic-Early Palaeozoic Against 450 million years ago! You've got to be joking.

This site is designed and hosted by Mayo Ireland Ltd