Landforms and hydrology of the lowland karst of County Roscommon, Ireland

Abstract

Karst is a significant aspect of the landscape of Ireland as more the half the island is underlain by limestone. Roscommon is located in Ireland's western karstic lowlands. The majority of Roscommon is underlain by clean, bedded limestones, which are covered by a layer of glacial sediments of varying thicknesses. Surface drainage is common, with many lakes and rivers. However, this drainage is not evenly distributed and some areas are characterised by an absence of surface drainage. These areas of low drainage densities are common on low relief limestone plateaux, which are common in Roscommmon.