The vastness of the unique rocky landscapeof Inis Óirr, and it’s uusual formations are an extremely beautiful sight. This is especially since the Aran Islands are essentially an extension of the Burren in County Clare. The cracked surface of the landscape marks resembles a grid and is termed formally as glints and grykes. The clints are the flat blocks of limestone that cover the land while grykes are the deep straight fissures which cut through the clint blocks.
The karst limestone landscape of the Aran Islands and The Burren was formed by a Glacier during the Ice-Age which cleared the land of any plant and soil material leaving the bare rock exposed. The grykes between the clints were formed by water cutting through the softer parts of the rock. This process is still ongoing and in many parts of the Burren is dissolving the rock completely.
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