Samuels Port ASSI

Samuel’s Port is a special place becauseof its earth science interest and the species biodiversity of the intertidal rock communities. This site is important because it is the best occurrence of a Tertiary age, igneous dyke with variable magma composition in the Mourne area.

The complexity of the shore provides habitats for many intertidal species and communities. At the top of the shore there is a wide area of coarse sand, pebbles and gravel with patches of seaweed. Below this, the upper shore is a boulder shore with wide areas of flat bedrock outcrops and rock ridges interspersed with many rock pools, with a narrow sandy/shingle bay in the middle. Further down towards the sea, the shore has stones, cobbles and large boulders on coarse sand.

Unusual features found at this site are the rock pools in the upper and middle shore, some of which go deep into the bedrock ridges, while others are formed as relatively shallow pools of water held between the cobbles and boulders.