Study Sites, Methods and Aim

Abstract

Rocky shorelines within southeastern Galway Bay and on the Aran Islands exhibit stepped platforms as well as steep cliffs with heights up to more than 20 m. Here field research on recent boulder movement by six exceptional strong winter storms of the season 2013/14 has been made. Quantitative data on boulder location, size, distances moved horizontally and vertically, and source of the boulders have been collected, as well as observations and documentation on signatures of the transport process on the rock platforms and on boulders themselves. The results are compared with the size of existing (old) boulders and their potential transport data. During fieldwork special emphasis was given on the morphologic aspects of boulder deposits and their internal architecture, and to imply sites of different intensity of exposure and bathymetry. The investigations should contribute to the question of boulder ridge genesis, with an extended documentation from field impressions in figures and photos as a base for later conclusions.