Soil micromorphology and geoarchaeology at Parknabinnia Court Tomb (Clare Megalith 153), Co. Clare, Ireland

This report describes soil micromorphological and field characteristics of profiles from the
Parknabinnia Neolithic court tomb, County Clare, Ireland, and discusses how they relate to
the history of the monument, its locality and the region. The tomb is located on a junction of
two soil profile types, both overlying the Lower Carboniferous limestone pavement of the
Burren. Despite the presence of a thick covering of soil inside the tomb before excavation, a
rendzina on limestone, the typical modern soil profile for the area, is present under much of
the tomb. Where the site overlies a slight hollow, however, a red clay-rich deposit is found
overlain by a clayey brown earth profile. The latter appears to have derived from a localised
occurrence or survival of more shale-rich or mixed limestone/shale breccia, as described for
soils immediately to the south of the area (Moles & Moles 2002), although its relationship to
those soils cannot be verified without further study. The hollow profile shows a change in
chemistry and/or aeration with depth, with mollusc-rich and slightly calcareous organic
topsoil overlying a moist parent material rich in oxidised iron and clay.

A report for Dr. C. Jones and the Royal Irish Academy