Ben Crom

Ben Crom (from Irish Binn Chrom, meaning 'curved/stooped peak') is a 526 metres (1,726 ft) mountain in the Mourne Mountains in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is situated beside Ben Crom Reservoir, which is upstream from Silent Valley Reservoir. The mountain is composed of granite. An exposed area on the south west of the mountain shows where the Eocene aplitic granite meets the laccolith top of the older Mesozoic granite ring dike. The summit of the mountain features granite crags which are crossed by basic and feldspar porphyry dikes. The mountain is used for sheep grazing and hill walking. The eastern slopes of Ben Crom are steep and covered in scree, a result of glacial activity that affected north- and east-facing slopes more intensely. The Ben Crom Reservoir, located nearby, was constructed in 1957 to supplement the Silent Valley Reservoir. Together, these reservoirs supply water to the Greater Belfast area and have a combined capacity of nearly 21 billion litres. The granite used in the construction of the reservoirs was sourced locally. From the Ben Crom dam wall, the valley between Ben Crom and Slievelamagan is visible, with notable contrasts between the steep, craggy eastern slopes and the smoother western slopes.