Google Earth - Peak District

[spikey]

This may be something that happened a while ago, and I have not spotted it, but it appears that Google have updated the resolution of the Peak District satellite images to a much higher level.
Given that I spend half my working life driving backwards and forwards across this area, it certainly opened my eyes to the number of features (eg sinks and shakeholes etc.) that exist here.
Is it possible that this sort of imagery could point the way to where to look for new caves, perhaps in some of the more "blank" parts of the area? (eg south east of Buxton, Bradwell Moor, or the area between the Derwent and the Dove).
(I apologise if this has been discussed previously, and I appreciate that in certain areas access, for digging etc. is quite sensitive).

 

[bubba]

It only happened a few months ago - amazing detail visible now.

Makes you wonder what sort of imagery the military have access to.

 

[emgee]

This may be something that happened a while ago, and I have not spotted it, but it appears that Google have updated the resolution of the Peak District satellite images to a much higher level.
Given that I spend half my working life driving backwards and forwards across this area, it certainly opened my eyes to the number of features (eg sinks and shakeholes etc.) that exist here.
Is it possible that this sort of imagery could point the way to where to look for new caves, perhaps in some of the more "blank" parts of the area? (eg south east of Buxton, Bradwell Moor, or the area between the Derwent and the Dove).
(I apologise if this has been discussed previously, and I appreciate that in certain areas access, for digging etc. is quite sensitive).

There seem to be several different resolutions for the Peak area non particularly good. As googleearth was only released for gentoo linux last week I've no idea what it used to be like. For comparison though If you look at the car park by Blue John Mine each vehicle is a couple of blobs. If I look at my house in an urban area then I can clearly make out the doors and windows on my van. A lot of the Peak seems to have been taken with the sun at a very low angle which is rather good for spotting surface features though it does make half the Winnatts disappear in shadow.

In my personal experience the area changes in character once you get out of a vehicle and walk off road it's not so much a question of looking for possible places to dig as deciding which one to go for.

Tried to find the Titan dig site but couldn't anyone found it? Cos obviously if you're gonna pick somewhere to dig then that was a pretty good choice.

 

[nickwilliams]

Tried to find the Titan dig site but couldn't anyone found it? Cos obviously if you're gonna pick somewhere to dig then that was a pretty good choice.

I had no difficulty finding it last night. The resolution is not as good as it is in some urban areas (try the Humber Bridge for instance) but it's a lot better than it was. It's good enough to be able to tell that the shot of this area was done on a week day when Moose's van was parked outside the office and his Landrover was not at Titan!

This is the first time I've played with Google Earth since I had not previously realised that there is a Mac compatible version.

The choice of the site for the Titan dig was done with a knowledge of what was underneath and exactly where the underground passage was, of course, so it's not really a good example of picking a site because of the surface features.

Nick.

 

[AndyF]

Some areas are better, but I just looked at Via Gellia, and it still is much poorer than Multimaps Arial view....whic his more consistant over the whole country

 

[spikey]

I would have to agree with Nickwilliams and say that I can find the Titan dig quite easily with the higher resolution (but I have been there and therefore know where to look!).
Is it possible that the resolution is different between IE, Linux etc.? Presumably not with a streaming feed.
My point was more to do with less well known (for caves at least) areas.
However, try panning west from Peak Cavern towards Rowter Farm and Nettle Pot, and look at the number of shakeholes along what I presume is the rake, which are not neccessarily visible on the ground.
I was also surprised by the number of shakeholes in the field containing Nettle Pot, stretching down as far as the top of Conies Dale - I know there is Mountbatten Pot and a dig which I think Chesterfield CC were looking at a few years ago, but the imagery would indicate a lot more to go at than just these, and I've been up there on numerous accasions and not spotted anything. Maybe I just walk around with my eyes shut!!

 

[Mark]

This has better resolution in some areas of the Peak District (Eyam for instance) than Google Earth

http://www.flashearth.com

 

[graham]

Makes you wonder what sort of imagery the military have access to.

They know where you are.

 

[AndyF]

This has better resolution in some areas of the Peak District (Eyam for instance) than Google Earth

http://www.flashearth.com

http://maps.live.com/  Provides the same hi-res MS mapping, but with a fancier interface.

I like being able to swap between map sources, but other than that it is not very sophisticated.

 

[Dave H]

A lot of the Peak seems to have been taken with the sun at a very low angle which is rather good for spotting surface features though it does make half the Winnatts disappear in shadow.

Despite what you see in the films, much of the military imagery done in real-time, is done when the sun is low. That way you can count squaddies from their shadows, even if they are wearing camoflage - especially in the desert!

If I look at my house in an urban area then I can clearly make out the doors and windows on my van.

Try to go much higher resolution and atmospheric effects start getting in the way (think heat-haze, but at much higher levels in the atmosphere)

Makes you wonder what sort of imagery the military have access to.

If they want to go much better than that, they use UAV's (unmanned aerial vehicles)

 

[AndyF]

Makes you wonder what sort of imagery the military have access to.

If they want to go much better than that, they use UAV's (unmanned aerial vehicles)

The problem the military seem to have is seeing rather than looking... i.e.

Petrol Tanker = Missile transporter
Tractor = Mobile poison gas generator
Small kid on pushbike = Terrorist courrier
TV station = Propaganda Control Center
School = ....arrrr who cares, bomb it anyway

...or am I just being too cynical.

 

[Mrs Trellis]

If you go up mam Tor when the sun's low - or when there's snow about - you can see the line if ginormous shakeholes where the "downstream" part of Windy Knoll makes its way towards Winnats Head. Note the huge one in the corner of the field where the Winnats Pass road leaves the main road . Also anyone notice the filled-in shaft by the south side of the upper Winnat's pass? It's invisible from the road being about ten feet up but easily recognisable from the Old Tor mine area.

 

[spikey]

I've noticed several times the "confluence" of what appear to be several dry stream beds to the east of the road from Mam Tor Swallet to Winnatts. They would appear to come together by the farmhouse, so maybe there's an almighty hole under the back of the farmyard !! 

 

[SamT]

cattle grid you mean 

 

[Mrs Trellis]

Spikey - what you're seeing are the three inlets that make up the Blue John system. One leads from Mam Tor swallet, another from the region of the farm under the obvious dry valley with the signed footpath and the final one from the Treak Cliff high ground. The final chamber is ginormous and is just about under the entrance. Down through the boulder choke is the only way on - but it's a huge boulder choke.

 

[spikey]

Mrs T, I can see what you mean.

I was referring more however to the more faint system of dry stream beds between the farm and the road. This would appear to give a similar catchment to that draining to Giant's just over the watershed to the west.

It is very visible on the ground as well as on the satellite images.

 

[SamT]

I see what you mean spikey - if ever there was a good dig site.

It probably relates to winnats head.