Cloughowrish Stone:
Part of a series of a number of caches located at places in the South East of Ireland that have a geological theme. This cache is located at what is recognised as Ireland’s biggest glacial erratic, the Cloughowrish Stone, near Leamybrien in West Co Waterford.
So what’s a glacial erratic then?..... A glacial erratic is a piece of rock that is different from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it is found; the name "erratic" is based on the errant location of these boulders. These rocks were carried to their current locations by glacial ice, sometimes over hundreds of kilometres!
Erratics can range in size from pebbles to large boulders such as this particular fractured boulder. It is composed of a lovely rock type, an Old Red Sandstone conglomerate that is 370 million years old. A conglomerate is like a stuck together mixture, a bit like a christmas pudding. Various particles and small pebbles get jumbled together and cemented in place. This rock type probably formed in an ancient desert when a tremendous flash flood tossed sand and stones together, and they eventually settled into place and formed.
Geologists identify erratics by studying the rocks surrounding the position of the erratic and the composition of the erratic itself. Erratics were once considered evidence of a massive flood approximately 10,000 years ago, similar to the legendary floods described in the texts of ancient civilizations throughout the world. Ancient legends of an epic flood come from many cultures including Mesoamerican, Sumerian (Epic of Gilgamesh), Hebrew (Old Testament) and Indian culture. In the 19th Century, many scientists came to favor erratics as evidence for the end of the last glacial maximum (ice age) 10,000 years ago, rather than a flood. Geologists have suggested that landslides or rockfalls initially dropped the rocks on top of glacial ice. The glaciers continued to move, carrying the rocks with them. When the ice melted, the erratics were left in their present locations.
This big fellow was probably plucked or transported from the Knockmealdown or Comeragh mountains that can be seen to the North. It's size demonstrates the awesome power of ice.
Safety - Note 3 *** Terrain: In order to access the cache you must cross over the wall. Watch your step after this, DO NOT step to the right but follow the obvious 2 m scramble up. When you find the cache do not jump around around with great excitement, as you might fall off. Please replace carefully – there is not much cover on the surface of a rock!