Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark

[4] Much of the rest of the Geopark comprises parts of the range of hills stretching between Belmore Mountain, which peaks at 401 metres (1,316 ft), and the Cliffs of Magho overlooking the western reaches of Lower Lough Erne.

These are a suite of faulted and gently folded sandstones, mudstones and limestones assigned to the Visean and Namurian stages of the period.

The larger part of the Geopark is covered by thick glacial deposits which obscure the bedrock geology across much of the lower ground.

Further east around Tappaghan Mountain and Lack are a suite of schists, phyllites and marble ascribed to the Dalradian Supergroup.

Greywackes, shales, sandstones and conglomerates of Ordovician age are found around the margins of the southern extent of the Geopark at Cavan and Butlers Bridge and between Lismoren and Killashandra.

An area around Lisnarick and Irvinestown is underlain by Old Red Sandstone; these early Devonian age sandstones, mudstones and siltstones extend to the shores of Lower Lough Erne though, as elsewhere across the lower lying ground of the area, are largely obscured by much younger superficial deposits.

The larger part of the Geopark is covered by a huge swarm of drumlins, the alignment of which reflect the passage of ice broadly from east to west though in a southerly direction south of Upper Lough Erne.

[10] The Marble Arch Caves were first explored in 1895 by the French speleologist Édouard-Alfred Martel together with naturalist Lyster Jameson.

[4] Fermanagh District Council began to consider developing a show cave at the site and they eventually opened them to the public in 1985.