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ScienceGroundwater is the water that soaks into the ground from rain and can be stored beneath the ground. An aquifer is a body of rock and/or sediment that holds groundwater. There are two main types of aquifer in Ireland – bedrock aquifers, and sand and gravel aquifers. Bedrock is...
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There are more than 1,200 geological formations and members (rock units) in the 1:100,000 Bedrock Geology map. Rock properties such as colour, grain size and type, origin, fossil and mineral content are used to define formations and members. A lot of these properties are not...
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ScienceGroup Water Schemes (GWSs) are community-run water supply schemes. About 70% of GWSs take their water from a privately-sourced supply. The rest take their water from an Irish Water connection (DHPLG, 2017). 81% of the privately-sourced supplies affiliated to the National...
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Public Water Supplies (PWSs) are managed by Irish Water, Ireland's national water utility, since 2013. Before this, public water supplies were managed by Local Authorities. More than 70% of public supplies take groundwater from boreholes, springs and infiltration galleries....
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The Groundwater Vulnerability map shows land areas across Ireland where groundwater can be easily polluted. It also shows areas where it is well protected by the subsoil layers. The vulnerability category given to a site or an area is based on how easy it is for water which...
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A well is a hole dug into the ground usually for the purpose of taking water from the ground but also for monitoring groundwater. Most private wells are used for home and farm water supplies are in rural areas. Springs occur where groundwater comes out at the surface. A...
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Subsoil is the layer of soil under the topsoil and on top of the bedrock. The ease with which water can pass through the subsoil is known as the ‘permeability’. The subsoil permeability affects how easily rainwater can soak down into the ground and fill up the groundwater...
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ScienceGroundwater is the water that soaks into the ground from rain and can be stored beneath the ground. An aquifer is a body of rock and/or sediment that holds groundwater. There are two main types of aquifer in Ireland – bedrock aquifers, and sand and gravel aquifers. Bedrock is...
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Bedrock is the solid rock at or below the land surface. Over much of Ireland, the bedrock is covered by materials such as soil and gravel. The Bedrock map shows what the land surface of Ireland would be made up of if these materials were removed. As the bedrock is commonly...
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Landslide locations and extents help us locate where landslides have occurred. Ireland's location, terrain and climate result in landslides occurring mainly in areas with steep slopes where rock meets the surface and peat covers the terrain. Landslides have the potential to...
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ScienceA landslide is the movement of material down a slope. This includes rock, earth, mud and peat. Landslides in Ireland mainly occur on steep mountain slopes. A landslide susceptibility map shows areas where a landslide could occur, how likely it will occur and what causes them....
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Bedrock is the solid rock at or below the land surface. Over much of Ireland, the bedrock is covered by materials such as soil and gravel. The Bedrock map shows what the land surface of Ireland would be made up of if these materials were removed. As the bedrock is commonly...
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The Dublin Soil Urban Geochemistry Project is a baseline survey of heavy metals and organic chemicals in topsoils in the greater Dublin area. Topsoil is the upper surface layer of the soil and this geochemical baseline survey measures the amount and type of chemicals in these...
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The 1:500k bedrock maps provide a simplified, smaller scale view of the bedrock geology of Ireland. The map was created in 2013 using the detailed 1:100k geology linework and polygons, which was adjusted and scaled to provide the best representation of the geology at this...
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EnergyGeothermal Open Loop Domestic suitability map. Ground source heat energy, sometimes called shallow geothermal energy, can be collected from the ground and boosted with heat pumps. This can yield up to four times as much energy as is used to collect it, giving ‘four for the...
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EnergyGeothermal Vertical Closed Loop suitability map. Ground source heat energy, sometimes called shallow geothermal energy, can be collected from the ground and boosted with heat pumps. This can yield up to four times as much energy as is used to collect it, giving ‘four for the...
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EnergyGeothermal Open Loop Commercial suitability map. Ground source heat energy, sometimes called shallow geothermal energy, can be collected from the ground and boosted with heat pumps. This can yield up to four times as much energy as is used to collect it, giving ‘four for the...
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Groundwater is the water that soaks into the ground from rain and is stored beneath the ground. An aquifer is a body of rock and/or sediment that holds groundwater. The process of rain filling up an aquifer is called ‘recharge’. The Groundwater Recharge map shows the amount of...
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Geochemistry of streams sediments can be used to screen for rare minerals and thus help developing local resources. Knowing composition of stream sediments helps to understand what rocks were eroded by the water, where they came from and what resources they might contain....
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Geological heritage or ‘geoheritage’is the term used to describe sites or places with features of geology that have important scientific, educational, cultural, or visual value. There are many types of sites. They are made from past and present geological processes (wearing...
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