The side of an enormous geological fold in the Old Red Sandstone layers .
Lower Glanmire Road Let us revisit the Old Red Sandstone one last time. Along Lower Glanmire Road the rock reveals some of the previously described structures on a larger scale. Instead of folds on the scale of a few metres, we see them on tens of metres along the road. Most of these sites are behind the train tracks or on private ground, but are conveniently large enough to be viewed from the pavement. Along Lower Glanmire Road we can also spot the former site of the largest Old Red Sandstone quarry in the City, just next to Lover’s Walk. This quarry was known was Brickfield Quarry, and prior to that, Flaherty’s Quarry. At the top, we see green rock layers and and directly below it red-coloured rocks. Despite the name, the Old Red Sandstone take on a broad range of colours, going from vibrant dark red to purple, green or grey. The colours reflect different chemical elements, minerals and iron rusting processes in the rocks. For instance, the red-coloured rock layers indicate that the rocks were exposed to open air when they formed, and thus the iron in the rocks was allowed to rust. On the other hand, the green or grey rocks hint at having originated under water.
The Former Brickfield/Flaherty’s Quarry is perhaps the most vibrant rock outcrop in the area.
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