Rob
Well-known member
Latest Eldon trip report, plus a short video of the freedive between Race Against Time and the Master Cave:
Cussey Pot, Eyam
- Thread starter Rob
- Start date
Mrs Trellis
Well-known member
Re morphology discussion in the latest trip reports - I imagine the successive soughs to drain the area's mines culminating in the Moorwood sough will have dewatered the natural drainage system or at last altered its previous course or perhaps both .There is something of a parallel in North Wales where the same kind of activity unwatered the caves of the Alyn Valley and caused the Holy Well to stop flowing. Did the Carlswark resurgence flow more before the soughs were driven?
danthecavingman
Member
The biggest change will have been when Glebe Mine broke into the natural drainage at the Boil Up, diverting much of the water that would have flowed out of the resurgence, into the sough. What effect the driving of the soughs had on autogenic (percolation) water levels I'm not sure. Perhaps there were springs or resurgences in the Dale now unknown that used to flow?
Pitlamp
Well-known member
Another analagous situation up here in the Dales is the Stump Cross Cavern drainage. Evidently it all came out of Timpony Joint originally, until miners intersected the flow when they drilled the Blackhill Level. The permanent flow now emerges from the latter and the short cave at Timpony Joint only acts as a flood rising.
I reckon the Stump Cross region is about as close to a typical Derbyshire caving area as we get in the Dales, with all its mining history imposed on the natural caves. Stump Cross itself always feel very similar to Bagshawe Cavern to me (with both having been found by lead miners).
I reckon the Stump Cross region is about as close to a typical Derbyshire caving area as we get in the Dales, with all its mining history imposed on the natural caves. Stump Cross itself always feel very similar to Bagshawe Cavern to me (with both having been found by lead miners).
Rob
Well-known member
As Dan says, Moorwood dewatering upstream Carlswark was a definite change to the hydrology downstream of the Boil-up.
The only other definite in my mind is that we don't know nearly enough to be sure on much else!
The new Master Cave bit looks to be drainage from Waterfall Swallet (based mostly on bearing) plus probably other swallets and autogenic sources nearby. There's no direct evidence to say miner's have interfered with that drainage route, but with over a kilometre between SMMC and Waterfall there's lots of opportunity for change. Plus the very upstream end of SMMC has evidence of miners...
Then there's Victory Level dewatering whatever there is to the south of the dale and Watergrove dewatering whatever there is to the west. Plus the active pumps at the mill.... complicated for sure!
The only other definite in my mind is that we don't know nearly enough to be sure on much else!
The new Master Cave bit looks to be drainage from Waterfall Swallet (based mostly on bearing) plus probably other swallets and autogenic sources nearby. There's no direct evidence to say miner's have interfered with that drainage route, but with over a kilometre between SMMC and Waterfall there's lots of opportunity for change. Plus the very upstream end of SMMC has evidence of miners...
Then there's Victory Level dewatering whatever there is to the south of the dale and Watergrove dewatering whatever there is to the west. Plus the active pumps at the mill.... complicated for sure!
Rob
Well-known member
Interesting thought pwhole. TBH i'm not very clear on Crosslow Sough, need to do more research probably.
I was lucky enough to go down Calf Pingle with John Beck in 2004. Jim Lister was pushing the bottom flooded level westwards towards Dustypits. No idea which way the water flowed though, although i always assumed it was East at that point, suggesting drainage to the nearby Hungerhill.
I'm sure Hungerhill drains into Static & Elastic Passages in Doom, rather than into the Master Cave. Prior to Moorwood that would indeed have probably come out at Carlswark.
Just noticed Calf Pingle isn't in the Stoney survex file, will try add this soon.
This feels pretty unlikely. Not sure on elevations, but Waterfall Swallet is pretty deep...
I was lucky enough to go down Calf Pingle with John Beck in 2004. Jim Lister was pushing the bottom flooded level westwards towards Dustypits. No idea which way the water flowed though, although i always assumed it was East at that point, suggesting drainage to the nearby Hungerhill.
I'm sure Hungerhill drains into Static & Elastic Passages in Doom, rather than into the Master Cave. Prior to Moorwood that would indeed have probably come out at Carlswark.
Just noticed Calf Pingle isn't in the Stoney survex file, will try add this soon.
martinb
Member
Not sure I believe in dowsing, but didn't JSB start a dig in Linen Dale somewhere? He was digging at the top of the dale close to the top of SMD IIRC
JonP
Well-known member
Yes JSB and Mark Noble were digging at the top end of Stoney Dale on the right. Ended in big one boulders from what I remember but i'm sure Mark will be able to clarify.
Kind of on topic... On our recent trips we've managed to dig open some pipe caverns heading off Victory Level which boasts a fantastic Shell bed. This place seems to be riddled with the stuff!
Jim admiring the Shell Bed by Jon Pemberton, on Flickr
Victory Level - Pipe Cavers by Jon Pemberton, on Flickr
Jim Cracked Floor by Jon Pemberton, on Flickr
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RobinGriffiths
Well-known member
Lovely crinoids. They look like bolts!
Roger W
Well-known member
The origin of the need for a Derbyshire key?
Rob
Well-known member
After a long 4 month period of being flooded out of Cussey (well, the stuff beyond Cussey really) i'm glad to say that the Loper Lust sump is now short enough again to allow access.
The team went through and got the syphon running again on Boil-up Sump 2, so hopefully the freedive there will be short enough soon too and we can continue pushing in the SMMC.
Trip report here:
The team went through and got the syphon running again on Boil-up Sump 2, so hopefully the freedive there will be short enough soon too and we can continue pushing in the SMMC.
Trip report here:
danthecavingman
Member
All quiet on the Eldon Front....?
No updates for a month, surely something must be going on?
Updates for the armchair cavers please 😂
No updates for a month, surely something must be going on?
Updates for the armchair cavers please 😂
danthecavingman
Member
JonP
Well-known member
Access to the Hollywood Bowl Series is now a bag free trip. Read below.
https://www.eldonpotholeclub.org.uk...hawe-cavern/610-stapled-to-the-top-20-07-2023
Mrs Trellis
Well-known member
Re Baggers - Batham Gate seems to be very near the surface - any thoughts of looking to gain entry from there.
