Ballysudden ASSI

Ballysudden contains some of the finest Carboniferous limestone palaeokarst features exposed anywhere in the British Isles. These limestones, over 100m thick and some 335 million years old , formed in a shallow marine environment and are rich in fossils such as brachiopods and corals.

Emergence and exposure of the former limestone seabed to terrestrial conditions allowed soil development and solution of the limestone to commence. This resulted in the formation of potholes and other solution hollows which can attain substantial sizes within the site. Palaeontological investigations of the infill may offer the rare opportunity to assess a Carboniferous terrestrial environment with the possibility of macro fossil remains.