Leader: Vanessa Banks
To examine the Carboniferous Limestones and lavas exposed in Lathkill Dale as well as the karst hydrogeology and how it’s been impacted by the mining legacy.
Morning session:- looking at perennial flow, limestone, lava, tufa and mining. We’ll walk down the Dale (downstream) towards Conksbury Bridge to see lava interbedded with the limestone; Bubble Springs is where the stream becomes perennial. We’ll also see small fault-aligned dolines, the remains of the hydraulic ram that once supplied Over Haddon, and the weirs that ensure the angling waters are oxygenated. We’ll return to Over Haddon and the option of lunch at the Lathkil Hotel.
Afternoon session:- looking at mining archaeology and ephemeral flow. From the car park we’ll head upstream towards Monyash. We’ll enter Cales Dale, passing a couple of exploratory adits, taking in Mandale Sough and the former pumping wheel, aqueduct and Bateman’s House (and lead dressing floor). We’ll note the potential for flooding in the areas of collapsed mine shafts and workings, and see Carter’s Mill, former chert workings, extensive (active) screes, and the tufa waterfall and downstream end of Lathkhill Head Cave.
Early evening session (optional):- drive on to Monyash, where we’ll park our cars, to see the reef limestones and a crinoidal decorative stone quarry at Ricklow, as well as Lathkill Head and Critchlow caves; we’ll continue down the dale to the eastern end of the mud mounds (reef limestones).
Image courtesy of BGS © UKRI
BOOKING INFORMATION: Numbers are limited to 20
COST: GA Members £5 / Non-Members £15
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