Ben Bulben
| Benbulben (Binn Ghulbain) | |
|---|---|
Benbulbin's northern side on a cloudy day.
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 526 m (1,726 ft) |
| Listing | Marilyn |
| Coordinates | 54°22′N 8°28′W / 54.367°N 8.467°W |
| Geography | |
 Benbulben (Binn Ghulbain)
Ireland
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| Location | Sligo, Republic of Ireland |
| Parent range | Dartry Mountains |
| OSI/OSNI grid | G692463 |
| Topo map | OSi Discovery 16 |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Hike |
Benbulbin, sometimes spelled Ben Bulben or Benbulben (from the Irish: Binn Ghulbain), is a large rock formation in County Sligo, Ireland. It is part of the Dartry Mountains, in an area sometimes called "Yeats Country".
Benbulbin is a protected site, designated as a County Geological Site by Sligo County Council.
"Ben Bulben", "Benbulben", and "Benbulbin" are all anglicisations of the Irish name "Binn Ghulbain". "Binn" means "peak" or "mountain", while "Ghulbain" means beak or jaw in Irish. The literal translation is therefore "beak" or "jaw" peak.
The name is also echoed in the name of the king Conall Gulban, a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages who was associated with the mountain, however, whether he was named after the mountain or the mountain after him is not clear.
Benbulbin was shaped during the ice age, when Ireland was under glaciers. Originally it was a large plateau. Glaciers moving from the northeast to southwest shaped it into its present distinct formation.
Benbulbin, and the Dartry Mountains as a whole, are composed of limestones on top of mudstones. These rocks formed in the area approximately 320 million years ago in a shallow sea. Uppermost in the limestone layer is a thicker, harder limestone called the Dartry Limestone Formation. Below this is a thinner transitional limestone formation – the Glencar Limestone Formation. Further down, the lower slopes consist of shaly mudstone known as the Benbulben Shale Formation. Scree deposits are found near the base.
Fossils exist throughout the layers of the mountains. All layers have many fossilised sea shells. The shale layer also holds some corals.
Barytes was mined at Glencarbury near Benbulbin in the Dartry range between 1894 and 1979.
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