Of Land and Water and Trudging Stone-age Men
Contact: Contact; Joe Kelley (207) 581-2162; David Munson (207) 581-3777
It seems that UMaine scientist Joe Kelley is wrapped up in yet another research project.
The intrepid marine geology professor recently presented his findings from a three-month research foray into Ireland, where he directed his considerable expertise towards unraveling the dynamic history of the Irish coast.
Despite a bout of unsavory weather that was wet and dreary even by Irish standards, Kelley and his fellow researchers Andrew Cooper and Derek Jackson of the University of Ulster were able to gather some eye-opening data regarding the history of sea-level change at various points along the island’s spectacular coastline. Utilizing seismic reflection equipment and coring techniques finely tuned through years of similar data collection in the Gulf of Maine, the small group quite literally broke new ground beneath the waves of the North Channel, disproving some previous theories about the composition of marine sediments off Ireland’s coast. Ultimately, the data told an exciting new story about the Emerald Isle and its historical relationship with Scotland, quickly swinging the eager eye of the Irish press toward Kelley and his colleagues.
“The core samples we took put the (sea-level) low point at about 30 meters below present levels. The low point occurred at approximately 12,000 years before the present, based on radio carbon dating. ” said Kelley. “The data suggested that Ireland was never linked to Scotland, which was really big news in Ireland. The press was there taking our picture on the boat, and the story was in the major papers. This data solves an important geological and anthropological problem.”
The conclusions drawn from the study’s four-and-one-half-inch diameter samples hit the Irish public like a ton of bricks, briefly lifting Kelley to celebrity status and eroded some long-held beliefs about the Emerald Isle’s geological and anthropological history. At the heart of the story’s popularity was Kelley’s interpretation of sea level change over time. Using carbon dating of buried seashells as a temporal point of reference, Kelley examined the stratification of sand, gravel, and marine mud deposits, establishing a timeline for the emergence of the unique geological characteristics of the Irish coast spanning tens of thousands of years. That timeline, as it turned out, contradicts the long-held notion that Ireland’s first human population arrived via a land bridge connecting Ireland to Scotland.
“Our study challenges the notion of a former land bridge to Ireland to enable humans to walk from Scotland,” Kelley told the Irish press. “We believe the first human inhabitants of the island were mariners.”
As in Maine, much of the geography in Ireland has been sculpted by glacial ice, massive sheets of which pushed across the Pleistocene landscape over thousands of years and then retreated as the climate warmed. Kelley’s data showed that sea level varied widely in response to glacial forces, ranging from 30 meters above to 30 meters below the current average. A glacial ice cap may have linked Ireland and Scotland during the late Quaternary period, but archeological evidence to date suggests that there were no humans present during that time to make the dangerous journey.
The data supporting Kelley’s conclusions didn’t come easy. For the entire three months, Kelley and his team carried out their fieldwork under a shroud of near-constant precipitation. Alternating periods of light rain and driving rain, punctuated by drizzle, made core-gathering excursions aboard the Ireland Department of Agriculture’s research vessel Lough Foyle difficult if not impossible, scaling back the project’s time at sea to just two days. As if the wet weather wasn’t enough, one of Europe’s largest motorcycle races, the North West 200, tied up Kelly’s base of operations in the tiny town of Coleraine for more than a week.
Unfazed, Kelley worked through the chaotic mix of squealing tires and burning petrol, slipping out of town to explore the uniquely beautiful geography of Ireland. Kelley continues to interpret the data he gathered at several other sites during the trip, including radar images taken near the small coastal town of Millan Bay where his family originated.
“There are ancient beaches, ruined castles, and sheep everywhere, and I couldn’t begin to show you the range of geography,” Kelley said this enthusiasm. “Ireland is just a beautiful place.”