Stanley Moor

[Gritstone]

Spent a nice afternoon on Stanley Moor today but have a question about the Karst up there. I know quite a few on here have spent time digging on the Moor so maybe you can enlighten me on the water flow. So I was in Axe Hole and looking into the shaft to the dig at the far end but was confused by the fact that the streem which was flowing well was running approximately North to South which would take it towards the old reservoir. I always assumed that the water on the Moor ended up heading towards Poole,'s possibly through the currently unopened Seventh Heaven. If that's not its course where does it resurge? Some of the water on the Moor certainly does head towards Poole's so what happens inbetween. It seems that alot is going on on Stanley Moor and I'd love to know if anyone has any thoughts or answers to this. Cheers Guy's.

 

[Tim H]

Hi gritstone, plenty of thoughts but not too many answers. I?m no geology expert but I did, along with Kev Hoy, open up that shaft in Axe hole that links to the stream. The stream is the one that sinks in Plunge hole and although it appears to be going south that is just the passage direction at that point. I believe the stream has been dye tested to Poole?s cavern and Wye head, but also to brook bottom. As I said I am no geologist but I remember John Beck telling me that the beds dipped the wrong way so the water was very unlikely to be following a main tunnel to Poole?s. More likely to be lots of convoluted small passages. There is very little height drop between the bottom of Plunge hole and the entry into Poole?s cavern which doesn?t help. In higher water conditions the stream in Plunge hole will flow directly in to the north rift so at that point heading direct for Poole?s. This is too tight and the stream doesn?t appear in Perseverance pot which is just a few metres in that direction.
I always felt that the best possibility for a way on was where the stream sumps at the bottom of the shaft. It used to be possible to divert the stream in Plunge hole down the north rift and so it would be dry at the shaft but something in the boulder choke changed and that doesn?t seem to be an option now.

Have fun exploring and trying to understand it all. If you find a through route to Poole?s cavern I might have to dust off my caving gear!

Tim

 

[Gritstone]

Thanks for that Tim. Interesting stuff. The silted up sumps in Axe seem to lie on the same line as your dig and look quite roomy but not sure if anyone has tried digging either of those. You can't hear the water running under the sumps but the streem had quite a flow on it yesterday so must have a pretty clear path through. I'm going to have a look into your dig next time I'm down as I didn't have a rope or gear with me. Popped into Plunge and it looks like someone is currently digging in there possibly looking for a connection with Axe but had left my compass in my bag by the entrance. Also went into Persiverance, any idea what's at the bottom of the shaft? It's a fair depth maybe the stream runs there somewhere? Judging by the size of some of the shake holes up there there must be more to find if permission was ever given to look properly. One for another day though that.