Cliffs of Moher in Liscannor, Ireland
The Cliffs of Moher are sea cliffs located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare, Ireland.
They run for about 14 kilometres.
At their southern end, they rise 120 metres above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head, and, 8 kilometres to the north, they reach their maximum height of 214 metres just north of O'Brien's Tower, a round stone tower near the midpoint of the cliffs, built in 1835 by Sir Cornelius O'Brien, then continue at lower heights.
The closest settlements are the villages of Liscannor 6 km to the south, and Doolin 7 km to the north.
From the cliffs, and from atop the tower, visitors can see the Aran Islands in Galway Bay, the Maumturks and Twelve Pins mountain ranges to the north in County Galway, and Loop Head to the south.
The cliffs rank among the most visited tourist sites in Ireland, with around 1.5 million visits per annum.
The cliffs take their name from an old promontory fort called Mothar or Moher, which once stood on Hag's Head, the southernmost point of the cliffed coast, now the site of Moher Tower.
The writer Thomas Johnson Westropp referred to it in 1905 as Moher Uí Ruis or Moher Uí Ruidhin.
The fort still stood in 1780 and is mentioned in an account from John Lloyd's A Short Tour Of Clare.
It was demolished in 1808 to provide material for a lookout/telegraph tower that was intended to provide warning in case of a French invasion during the Napoleonic wars.
The cliffs are one of the most popular tourist destinations in Ireland and topped a list of attractions in 2006 by drawing almost one million visitors; the total visit number is now around 1.5 million per annum.
Since 2011, they have formed a part of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark, one of a family of geotourism destinations throughout Europe that are members of the European Geoparks Network and also recognized by UNESCO.
The cliffs are also a "signature point" on the official Wild Atlantic Way tourist trail.
While the cliffs can be accessed at multiple points, and there is an 18 kilometres Cliff Walk, the majority of visitors come to the official visitor centre.
The official Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk runs for 18 km, from Hag's Head to Doolin, passing the Visitor Centre and O'Brien's Tower, with good viewing throughout, subject to rain or sea fog.
There are two paths near the visitor centre, the official one being set back a little for safety, while an unofficial path runs closer to the edge.
In July 2016 the so-called Cliff Walk, outside the official Cliffs of Moher amenities, was temporarily closed because of the risk of rock falls.
People were warned to stay on the official path further of the cliff edge instead of the unofficial seaside trail.
Separate ferry trips also allow tourists to view the cliffs from sea level, and at certain times fixed-wing aircraft from Connemara Airport also provide a viewing opportunity.
The cliffs consist mainly of beds of Namurian shale and sandstone, with the oldest rocks being found at the bottom of the cliffs.
During the time of their formation between 313 and 326 million years ago, a river dumped sand, silt and clay into an ancient marine basin.
Over millions of years, the sediments collecting at the mouth of this ancient delta were compacted and lithified into the sedimentary strata preserved in the now-exposed cliffs.
The area is considered a geologic laboratory that preserves a record of deltaic deposition in deep water.
Individual strata vary in thickness from just a few centimeters to several meters, each representing a specific depositional event in the history of the delta.
In aggregate, up to 200 meters of sedimentary rocks are exposed in the Cliffs of Moher.
Trace fossils are abundant, comprising two main types: scolicia or worming trails, which are interpreted as feeding trails left by as-yet-unidentified invertebrates, and burrow marks, which are circular features preserved as casts of burrows once occupied by as-yet-unidentified marine creatures.
Ripple marks are preserved in some stones.
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