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Lionel's Hole Boulder Movement - UPDATE
The boulder movement in Lionel's Hole was inspected on the evening of the 25th February.
At the top of the Second Duck Bypass, where there is a T-Junction with Left leading to the Sandwich Boulder and Right being the return leg of the round trip, two large boulders have moved. The attached photo shows these. There is a large triangular flake stood upright (in the background of the photo) and a large squarer boulder on the floor in front of it (mid-left in the photo). It appears that the “flake” has moved downward and has come to rest leaning against the wall of the rift behind. This has allowed the large square boulder to fall to the floor (you can make out the strike marks it has made on the “flake” boulder). For scale the “flake” is about 2m high and the square boulder is about 0.75m x 0.75m x 0.5m. Formally, these boulders created a low roof in this area but it is now possible to stand up.
The “flake” boulder is securely wedged in its new position. It is possible, with care, to pass it to both the left and the right and, as such, it does not present any problem. The squarer boulder is less stable and a was likely to slip down the bypass passage, blocking it and potentially injuring anyone below. To help prevent this, the boulder has been “chocked” in place and is now much more stable.
The intention is to now monitor the situation to assess if any further work is required.
Visiting cavers are advised to treat this area with extreme caution and not to loiter around here. The ceiling above these two boulders can now been seen and there is potential for more future falls.
