Tourist actions causing erosion at Northern Ireland's Giant's Causeway monument
A significant concern has emerged at the Giant's Causeway, an ancient UNESCO World Heritage site in Northern Ireland, with estimates of its age reaching up to 60 million years. The iconic volcanic rock formation, situated on County Antrim's dramatic coastline, is experiencing damage due to tourists leaving behind tokens of their visit. The UK's National Trust has appealed to visitors to cease the practice, as it is causing irreversible harm to the site.
The Giant's Causeway is renowned for its unique hexagonal basalt columns that lead from the cliffs out into the sea, attracting over half a million tourists annually since the late 1700s. Legend claims that the Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill constructed the causeway to cross the North Channel towards Scotland in order to battle a counterpart. However, geologically, the structure formed through the cooling and fracturing of basalt that rose from molten magma.
The issue arises from a tradition in which tourists wedge coins – often representing their country of origin – between the rocks. Over time, these coins corrode and expand, putting immense pressure on the surrounding rock, causing it to crumble. Additionally, the process leaves unsightly streaks of copper, nickel, and iron oxides on the stones.
Conservation experts have already carried out trials to remove coins without causing damage. The plan is to remove all coins from the site, but the project will cost more than £30,000 (approximately €35,600).
Dr. Cliff Henry from the National Trust expressed that visitors hold a deep connection to the Giant's Causeway, which is also an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI). However, he emphasized that the practice of inserting coins is causing damage and is pleading with tourists to stop.
halt, appeals, giant, causeway, coins, corroding, damage, ireland, heritage, travel
References:
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-63570089
- https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/giant-causeways- £32,000-coin-removal-project-6131076
- https://www.rt.com/uk/news/giant-causeway-coins-damage-600818/
- https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/08/giant-causeway-coins-plea-tourists-stop-leaving-memorials-in-rock-formations
- Tourists visiting the Giant's Causeway in County Antrim, Ireland, are urged to halt their practice of wedging coins between the historic volcanic rock formations, as the corroding coins are causing irreversible damage.
- The conservation of the Giant's Causeway, a globally significant heritage site and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, involves an urgent need for travelers to reconsider their lifestyle choices to protect this environmental-science treasure.
- In their appeal to tourists, Dr. Cliff Henry from the National Trust highlights the deep connection that visitors have with the Giant's Causeway, and strongly recommends that they refrain from inserting coins to preserve the site for future generations of scientists, travelers, and admirers of the world's natural wonders.
