Makenny ASSI

Makenny is a special place because of its important geology. The site provides access to rock exposed along the banks and bed of a stream in the Makenny townland. The rocks here date from the Carboniferous period of Earth history and are some 320 million years old. They originated as sand and mud which built up in an area of land that was sinking at this time.

A mixture of sandstone and mudstone are found at Makenny. The strata dip gently to the north west – they have been moved and tilted since they formed. The most common rock is mudstone which is grey-red or grey-green on fresh surfaces. The grey-green mudstones contain fragments of plant fossils such as leaves.