Cave wall in quarry

Fulk

Well-known member
What do you make of the feature in this photo?

Lanjaron Quarry 1 by John Forder, on Flickr

It looks to me like the stal-covered wall of a cave, but here it is in context ? it?s along one wall of an old quarry.

Lanjaron Qarry 2 by John Forder, on Flickr

My guess is that when the quarry was operational, they blasted into a cave passage, and for some reason stopped work when they had removed the ?other side? as it were, of the cave, leaving this wall exposed to the elements.

Here?s a picture of a little stalactite / mite found in the quarry.

Lanj stal by John Forder, on Flickr
 

Brains

Well-known member
Have seen similar quarry wall features in the White Peak, and from what could be seen around I came to the conclusion it was open joints that had been coated in flowstone. One of the few remaining bits of Dirtlow Rake used to show this quite well before it was landscaped to hell, and also some exposures in the Grin Low quarries at Buxton around the car park.
 

andrewmcleod

Well-known member
Pretty sure I was looking at the same thing above the Daren Cilau entrance this weekend (albeit less well-developed).
 

Mark

Well-known member
Similar features can be found in active limestone quarries, usually from lime rich run off from benches above, although the entrances to Pindale cave and Black Rabbit cave in the Peak District are connected by a well fluted joint wall, and section of cave passage which has obviously been blasted away.
 

Huge

Active member
Pretty sure I was looking at the same thing above the Daren Cilau entrance this weekend.    Too!

And a lot more further along the quarries, passed Ogof Gwaliau Gwynion, where there's a section the climbers call Flowstone Wall. Pretty sure it's formed on the wall, after quarrying, out in the open air.
 

Fulk

Well-known member
So ? the consensus of opinion seems to be that these features formed after the quarry was abandoned?
 

Brains

Well-known member
No, seen in quarrys but IMO formed in open joints prior to quarrying. Flowstone formed in daylight is tufa, and usually very fertile. Lime burning can form flowstone similar to that found underground, but a reasonable flow through is required in either case. The quarry walls as seen now are too dry to form such features in the time available.
Proof would be from dating of the flowstone, which I predict would give age ranges comparable to those of stal formation in nearby caves
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
Slightly nearer to home for you Fulk - I think Giggleswick Quarry has something along these lines (though not as good as the example in your images).

I've been trying to think where I've climbed on something like this in the past - maybe it was Staden Quarry near Buxton?
 

SamT

Moderator
yes ... I was thinking of Staden too.  Cathys Clown.. E2.. goes up a flowstone/tufa wall
 

andrewmcleod

Well-known member
Plenty of flowstone in Dungecroft Quarry, Portland. Some people like it, I hate it because it's so damn slippery!

http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=67597#photos
70974.jpg


I think its pretty common?
 
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