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May 29, 2007
"Go deep!"
Everyone has heard of the London Underground, but what about the Yorkshire underground?
Ursula has been displaying infinate patience and love with the events going on around her.. she needed a change of scene.
She had never been into a cave before and was rather nonplussed at the suggestion, but as soon as we got away from the daylight she got with the program and became a intrepid spelunker scurrying from chamber to chamber with echoing "oos" and "ahhs".
The formation of Stump Cross Caverns began millions of years ago, when the area which is now the Yorkshire Dales was covered by oceans. Sediment from the ocean floor would eventually form limestone. Underground streams found their way into the cracks and began to expand the cave system. Once the streams had gone from the upper levels of the valley the cave system was left behind, and the mineral structures that are present today slowly began to form as water dripped through the caverns. The caves were then discovered in 1860 by miners who looking for lead seams in the Yorkshire Dales.
Our journey into realm of Orpheus was breathtaking. A five foot pillar takes 250,000 years to make and when you see a large chamber it is hard to get your head around the time that nature invested into this jewel box.
On the return to the surface she exclaimed, "I will never forget this". Boom! Perfect day.
Posted by Andrew at May 29, 2007 2:45 AM