We recently commissioned a ground investigation in Co. Monaghan to support the design of a sports field. There is a deep cut into a slope at one end of the sports field, and using information from the recently-updated Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) Quaternary Data Viewer we could begin to develop an understanding of the likely geology at desk study stage and make an informed prediction that overburden would extend to a significant depth. The prediction was correct in this case and drilling encountered overburden of glacial till to the planned investigation depth.
The latest GSI Quaternary mapping suggests the site is a drumlinised ribbed moraine. Current knowledge suggests that, in the region of interest, the transition from ribbed moraine (yellow areas in the image below) to drumlin bedform (magenta lines) may be related to ice movement increasing in velocity at this location during deposition. A lot of what we can say about the glacial landscape left behind in warmer places is informed by observations of current glacier movements in colder places, and the paper by Johnson et al. on observations of an active drumlin field in Iceland is a fascinating read on the topic. As with any project which involves an element of ground risk, an understanding of both the geological background of the site and the geotechnical properties of the materials there today is essential to achieving a reliable design.
