Ring of Gullion
| Ring of Gullion (Irish: Fáinne Cnoc Shliabh gCuillinn) | |
| Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty | |
 Ruins of the pre-Norman Killevy Churches
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| Country | Northern Ireland |
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| Counties | County Armagh |
| Location | North Eastern Ireland |
| - coordinates | 54°07′44″N 6°26′02″W / 54.129°N 6.434°WCoordinates: 54°07′44″N 6°26′02″W / 54.129°N 6.434°W |
| Highest point | |
| - location | Slieve Gullion |
| - elevation | 573 m (1,880 ft) |
| Area | 152.39 km2 (59 sq mi) |
| Geology | ring-dyke intrusion |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Management | Department of Environment |
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Website: www |
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The Ring of Gullion (Irish: Fáinne Cnoc Shliabh gCuillinn, meaning "hill ring of Slieve Gullion") is a geological formation and area, officially designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, (AONB) located in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The area centres on Slieve Gullion, the highest peak in County Armagh, measures roughly 42 by 18 kilometres (26 by 11 mi) and comprises some 150 km² defined topographically by the hills of an ancient ring dyke. Parts of the area have also been officially listed as Areas of Special Scientific Interest.
The geological formation was the first ring dyke to be mapped, although its significance was not understood until similar structures had been described from Scotland. It was emplaced during the Paleogene opening of the Atlantic Ocean during the formation of the North Atlantic Igneous Province.
The structure of the ring dyke was produced when the active volcano's caldera underwent collapse producing a concentric suite of faults providing space into which magma was able to intrude. The ring dyke is composite with both porphyritic granophyre and porphyritic felsite components. The composition of the remainder of the volcano today is dominated by gabbro and granophyre and is also the site of a noted occurrence of platinum group elements.
The rocks of the area are complex and have featured in international geological debate since the 1950s. The site has attracted geologists from all over the world and featured in a number of theories that have been put forward to explain the unusual rock relationships. Some of these theories have now become an accepted part of geological science.
Chief amongst the source of debate is the interaction of disparate forces in shaping the modern geology of the area: rock from the Silurian period, shaped and interspersed by more than one period of volcanic activity and later glacial forces which have led to the highly unusual nature of the area today.
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