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Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs An Roinn Talmhaíochta, Comhshaoil agus Gnóthaí Tuaithe Depairtment o' Fairmin, Environment an' Kintra Matthers

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  • Woodgrange ASSI

    Topics:
    • Biodiversity, 
    • Protected areas
    Protected area type: Areas of Special Scientific Interest
    Feature type: Earth Science
    County: Down
    Council: Newry, Mourne and Down
    Guidance and literature: Woodgrange ASSI

    Woodgrange ASSI (also known as Annadorn Fen) occupies 18.9 ha and lies to the south of the Annadorn Road approximately 3 km west of Downpatrick, Co. Down.

    The site at Woodgrange has been selected as the type site for the late-glacial climatic warming following deglaciation in Ireland lasting from 13,000 - 11,000 years before present (B.P.). Detailed cores document the palaeoecological evidence for these changes. Although many of the late-glacial sites in Ireland record a common sequence of events, Woodgrange records the very first late-glacial plant colonisation, possibly around 13,000 years ago. The succeeding grass phase dates from 11,800 - 10,900 years B.P. and is best represented at Woodgrange; this is the Woodgrange Interstadial. Post-glacial estuarine clays were deposited after about 7500 yrs B.P. and this is one of the few sites in Ireland where elements of the post-glacial transgression have been subjected to 14C dating.

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