Geology and Mining

The Carboniferous Limestone Rock
The carboniferous limestone rock of the White Peak of Derbyshire is about 350 million years old and made from the limey shells, bones and secretions of marine life.

Treak Cliff Cavern & Rainwater
The photo shows the stalactites in Dream Cave, Treak Cliff Cavern. In Treak Cliff Cavern, the average rate of growth of stalactites is about 1 mm every 65 years. Radio Carbon Dating suggests the formations in the Cavern are about 111 thousand years old.

Limestone Rock in Derbyshire’s White Peak
How the limestone of the White Peak was formed from calcium deposits created by billions of marine animals when the Britain was a small part of a great reef in warmer seas 350 million years ago.

Finding Treak Cliff Cavern
In 1923, miners digging for fluorspar on Treak Cliff discovered a small chamber containing human bones.  Expert examination later established that this was a late Neolithic family burial about 5500 years old.  Three years later, 5 miners blasted through into an unknown cavern.

This document is a transcript of a taped conversation with Jack Beverley of Castleton describing the day Treak Cliff Cavern was found.

Mam Tor: the Shivering Mountain
The face of Mam Tor which overlooks the Village of Castleton was scarred by a massive landslide about four thousand years ago.  The volume of the landslip is roughly estimated at about 15 million cubic metres of slipped debris weighing in the region of 45 million tonnes.  This article examines the causes and consequences of this geological event.

Odin Mine
Odin (or Oden) mine is the oldest documented lead mine in Derbyshire and is thought to be one of the oldest mines in England.

Blue John Stone
At the western end of the Hope Valley, between Winnats Pass and Mam Tor is a steeply sloping hill. This is Treak Cliff, the only place in the world where the rare and beautiful mineral Blue John has been found. Treak Cliff is made of limestone rock from the Carboniferous period and is around 359 million years old. Blue John is about 290 years old. Follow the link above for more of its fascinating story.