The area is of special scientific interest for its woodland and grassland habitats. Sloughan and Willmount Glens are composed of a range of vegetation communities, including oakwood with associated flushed and base-rich woodland and purple moor-grass and rush pastures at Willmount Glen. The glens are situated on the southern slope of Bolaght Mountain, with an altitude of approximately 100 – 180m above sea level.
The geology of the area is dominated by Carboniferous age sandstones of the Mullaghmore Formation. The base-rich nature of parts of the site may be due to thin limestones within the Mullaghmore sandstones, or the relatively close position of the more calcareous Bundoran Shales (also of Carboniferous age) which are a series of mudstones and limestones. A much younger (Palaeogene age) intrusive igneous dyke occurs along the length of Sloughan Glen. Soils are generally poor draining and are predominantly gleys and humic gleys.
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