To mark the International Year of Caves and Karst 2021 A lecture to be held via Zoom on Tuesday 30th March at 8pm

As Old as the Hills: The chronology of caves and their landscapes

Dr. Mike Simms, National Museums Northern Ireland

Caves, formed by streams draining into limestone from the surface, provide a unique record of changing landscapes by creating new underground drainage routes. Cave passages, and the sediments or animal remains that they contain, are protected from weathering and erosion far longer than if they were on the surface. Limestone caves present natural barriers to most ordinary mortals but, for those willing to tolerate the discomfort, they offer unparalleled opportunities for reconstructing, and dating, the evolution of the landscapes with which they are associated. The talk will focus particularly on Irish caves and their landscapes.