Northern Ireland - Sub region 4
National Geological Screening for a GDF - Northern Ireland region
There are no plans to site a GDF in Northern Ireland. This screening report is purely a technical exercise. Any future policy decision on geological disposal in Northern Ireland would be a matter for the Executive.
Details
Our work shows that we may find a suitable geological setting for a GDF in most of this subregion, but the potential host rock may not be present in suitably shaped or sized volumes.
Northern Ireland - Subregion 4
Rock can be seen at the surface in some of this subregion such as the Sperrin Mountains and in man-made excavations such as quarries or road cuttings. Combined with some deep boreholes and geophysical investigations, this gives us an understanding of the rocks present and their distribution.
There are various types of gaps in our understanding of geology and we deal with these gaps in a number of ways.
There are volcanic lavas and similar strong rocks under most of the subregion, in which we may be able to site a GDF. These rocks are varied, folded and faulted and we would need to do more work to find out whether these rocks have suitable properties and thicknesses in the depth range of interest for a GDF.
Recent investigations have identified gold, copper, lead and zinc at depths which are of relevance to the siting of a GDF in the Sperrin Mountains around Omagh. It is not known whether the minerals in these areas will be exploited. RWM will continue to monitor how this exploration programme progresses.
We have produced a summary of the geological attributes of the Northern Ireland Region add link to Northern Ireland Regional Geology page.
For further information, read the report below.
