Omagh Thrust

The Omagh Thrust Fault is a geological fault in County Tyrone. It is of one of the most important structural discontinuities in Northern Ireland^[1] and an extension of the Highland Boundary Fault which runs through Scotland.^[2]

Geological map of Ireland. The red line marks the Omagh Thrust Fault.

The fault occurred in the Caledonian orogeny, during a late stage of this period of mountain building. Older sequences of Dalriadan metamorphic strata were moved over younger Ordovician ones with the fault as their boundary.

There is access to a view of the fault at Mountfield Quarry, County Tyrone. This has been designated an Area of Special Scientific Interest.^[1]

See also

• List of geological faults in Northern Ireland
• Geology of Northern Ireland

References

General references

• Map sheet 44 (and accompanying memoir) of the series of 1:50,000 scale geological maps of Northern Ireland published by Geological Survey of Northern Ireland.
• Lyle, P. 2003 Classic geology in Europe 5 The north of Ireland Terra Publishing, Harpenden