The Burren

The Burren is unique because it is one of the most complete and extensive karst landscapes in Europe , with characteristic limestone structures, deep crevices (" grikes "), flat stone plateaus (" pavements "), thousands of caves , an exceptional biodiversity, and a lunar landscape due to the almost complete absence of (fertile) soil.

Limestone weathers through chemical dissolution: rainwater contains dissolved carbon dioxide, which slowly dissolves limestone. This leads to the formation of karst, with deep fissures (grikes) , holes, and underground drainage.

During the last ice age (about 10,000 years ago), the area was covered by a glacier that scraped away virtually all existing soil and vegetation. The "clean" limestone surface was then only very slowly resurfaced with soil through dust fall, weathering, and plant remains.

The Burren lies on the wet western coast of Ireland: excessive rain quickly erodes thin soil layers and humus. Human activities—such as deforestation and grazing—have exacerbated the problem: with the disappearance of trees, nothing can hold the thin soil, accelerating its erosion over centuries.

This leaves a large surface bare and uncovered , creating a structure of clints and grikes. Clints are the blocks or slabs of solid limestone that form the surface of a limestone pavement, such as in the Burren. They are separated by deep cracks or fissures, called grikes (or grykes ).

Pascal Brackman