Waltham, A.C., Simms, M.J., Farrant, A.R. and Goldie, H.S. 1997. Karst and Caves of Great Britain. Geological Conservation Review Series No. 12, JNCC, Peterborough, ISBN 0 412 78860 8.

The original source material for these web pages has been made available by the JNCC under the Open Government Licence 3.0. Full details in the JNCC Open Data Policy

Tables

(Table 1.1) A comparison of the major features which give the individual character to each main karst region of Britain

Region Yorkshire Dales1 Northern Pennines2 Peak District Mendip Hills South Wales Rest of Britain3
Geology
Karst area4 320 km2 220 420 km2 110 km2 220 km2 9000 km2 (mostly chalk)
Karst reliefs 270 m 70 m 260 m 260 m 330 m 200 m (chalk)
Limestone thickness6 200 m 40 m 400 m 700 m 150 m 200 m (chalk)
Typical dip 1° 1° 5° 30° 10° Varies between areas
Last glaciation Devensian Devensian Anglian7 None Devensian Varies between areas
Karst8
Glaciokarst * * * * * * (Scotland)9
Fluviokarst * * * * * * (chalk)
Interstratal karst * * *
Pavement areal10 677 ha 613 ha 0 0 8 ha 28 ha (Scotland, North Wales)
Dry valleys * * * * * * * (chalk)
Karst gorges * * * * * *
Collapse features * *
Doline fields * * * * * * (covered chalk)
Ephemeral lakes * * (chalk)
Polygonal karst * *
1 The main southern Dales area on the Askrigg Block, including Dentdale, and excluding Nidderdale.

2 Including Nidderdale, the karst east of Morecambe Bay, and the eastern fringe of the Lake District.

3 Mostly the weakly cavernous karst of the chalk and oolitic limestones; including the cavernous karst of Devon, Forest of Dean, North Wales and Scotland.

4 Approximate area of karstic landscapes; does not include all the limestone outcrops.

5 Approximate values for the local relief within the limestone, which dictates the maximum descent from sink to rising, added to any depth of karstification beneath the resurgence level.

6 Geological data are generalized for purposes of comparison.

7 Or possibly Wolstonian — see text.

8 Most karst features are found to some extent in all the main karst regions, but their importance is assessed in relative terms:

* = significant, but minor;

* * = important and widespread;

* * * = internationally important.

9 Location of the major features noted in parentheses.

10 From Ward and Evans (1976).

[Part 2]

Region Yorkshire Dales1 Northern Pennines2 Peak District Mendip Hills South Wales Rest of Britain5
Famous sites Malham Cove Gaping Gill Hutton Roof Crags Dove Dale Peak Cavern Cheddar Gorge Wookey Hole Dan-yr-Ogof Porth-yr-Ogof
Caves
Major passage types Vadose joint shafts, phreatic on bedding Joint mazes Phreatic on veins and bedding Downdip phreatic loops Downdip vadose, strike phreatic Vary between areas
Number of caves11 1420 620 210 220 270 410
Total cave length11 325 km 65 km 50 km 55 km 195 km 45 km
Caves over 1 km long 50 9 9 10 12 6
Longest caves12 (km) Ease Gill System 71 Goyden Pot 6 Peak-Speedwell System 14 Swildon's Hole 9 Ogof Ffynnon Ddu 50 Slaughter Cave 11 (Forest of Dean)
Kingsdale System 24 Knock Fell Caverns 5 Giants Hole 5 St Cuthbert's Swallet 7 Ogof Draenen 48 Ogof Llyn Parc 4 (North Wales)
Gaping Gill System 18 Fairy Hole 4 Bagshaw Cavern 4 Wookey Hole 4 Ogof Agen Allwedd 34 Uamh an Claonaite 3 (Scotland)
Ireby-Notts System 12 Devis Hole 2 Carlswark Cavern 2 Gough's Cave 2 Ogof Daren Cilau 30 Ogof Llyn Du 2 (North Wales)
Deepest caves12 (m) Ease Gill System 211 Goyden Pot 61 Giants Hole 214 Eastwater Cavern 180 Ogof Ffynnon Ddu 308 Ogof Llyn Parc 115 (North Wales)
Meregill Hole 206 Scrafton Pot 44 Masson Cavern 1 90 Longwood Swallet 175 Ogof Daren Cilau 217 Slaughter Cave 99 (Forest of Dean)
Pen y ghent Pot 196 Pate Hole 33 Peak-Speedwell System 184 Swildon's Hole 167 Ogof Agen Allwedd 177 Cnoc nan Uamh 90 (Scotland)
Gaping Gill System 195 Ayleburn Mine Cave 30 Nettle Pot 180 Manor Farm 151 Dan-yr-Ogof 140 Ogof Hesp Alyn 90 (North Wales)
11 Recorded caves longer or deeper than 5 m; figures rounded to nearest 10 caves and 5 km of passage; from unpublished database of Limestone Research Group, University of Huddersfield.

12 Subject to continuous revision, as lengths (and less frequently depths) are increased by newly discovered passages or by links found between known caves.

(Table 1.2) The finest examples of individual karst and cave features within the GCR sites of Britain. The listing of features is in the order of their description in Chapter 1. The tabulated data are recognized as being subjective, especially among the important secondary examples, which are not presented in any sequence of merit and are referred to by short versions of their full site titles.

Feature Prime example Important examples
Limestone karst
Dolines Ingleborough karst Wurt Pit, Sandpit, High Mark
Dry valley Lathkill Dale Cave Dale, Coniston, Malham & Gordale
Karst gorge Cheddar Gorge Malham and Gordale, Hell Gill, Winnats
Collapsed cave Penyghent Gill God's Bridge, Porth-yr-Ogof
Limestone pavement Great Asby Scar Scales Moor, Ingleborough, Gait Barrows
Glaciokarst Malham & Gordale Ingleborough, Traligill
Fluviokarst Manifold Valley Lathkill Dale, Dove Dale
Polygonal karst High Mark Brimble & Cross
Interstratal karst Mynydd Llangynidr Draenen, Nidderdale, Llangattwg
Fossil karst Green Lane Pits Masson Hill, Pikedaw
Limestone caves
Deep phreatic Wookey Hole Ease Gill, Cheddar
Shallow phreatic Kingsdale caves Ingleborough
Abandoned phreatic Dan-yr-Ogof Alyn Gorge, Ingleborough, Castleton, Llangattwg, Minera, Priddy, Sleets Gill
Maze cave Knock Fell Caverns Mossdale and Langcliffe, Hale Moss
Vadose canyons Ease Gill Caves Ogof Ffynnon Ddu, Castleton
Vadose shafts Ingleborough caves Ease Gill, Brants Gill, Buttertubs
Calcite deposits Otter Hole St Dunstan's, Boreham, Dan-yr-Ogof
Dated sediments Charterhouse caves Cheddar, Traligill, Ease Gill
Chalk karst
Dolines Cull-pepper's Dish Devil's Punchbowl, Castle Lime Quarry
Dry valleys Millington Pastures Manger, Devil's Dyke
Cave Beachy Head Cave Water End
Salt karst
Subsidence Moston Long Flash Rostherne

References