A group of eminent Earth scientists arrived in Connemara last night for a field trip in honour of Prof John Dewey, who formulated the theory of plate tectonics.
Prof Dewey, who heads the Department of Earth Sciences at Oxford University, developed the theory that the Earth's outer layers are composed of rigid plates which float on a liquid interior. The visit coincides with his 60th birthday.
Prof Dewey's discovery that collisions between rigid plates created mountain ranges was "a revolutionary statement which transformed the science of geology", according to Prof Paul Ryan of University College Galway's Department of Earth Science.
"Plate tectonics explained, for a start, how the continents grow through time and why they move, and it has been very important in the discovery of offshore oil," he said.
The visiting group includes Prof Peter Ballance from New Zealand, an expert in his country's Alpine mountain ranges; Prof Kevin Burke from Virginia, in the US, an expert on African evolution; Prof John Ramsay from Zurich, a leading structural geologist; and Dr John Dalziel from Austin, Texas, an expert on mapping the ancient world, who believes that Ireland was once joined to South America.
They will be based in Leenane on Killary Harbour, Ireland's only fjord. "This area is to geologists what the Burren is to botanists," Prof Ryan said.
"It's a great place to educate people and it has enormous mineral wealth as well as offshore oil potential. One of the things we'll be looking at is how these deposits could be excavated without ruining this very beautiful part of the world."