Thwaite Lane Stile
Around the area of the stile where you leave Thwaite Lane to cross to Robin Proctor's Scar there are a couple of points of interest that are worth looking at
The subway for the sheep
Just before you reach the stile on Thwaite Lane there is a mysterious hump in the track where a farmer has built an underground passage which will allow the sheep to pass freely to and from the fields on either side. This often happens in walls where a small 'doorway' is constructed, controlled by a large stone or a small gate, and known as a 'sheep creep'.
The exposure of limestone
North of the stile, towards Robin Proctor's Scar, there are some tilted exposures of limestone which give an indication of the proximity of the Craven Faults. These are significant geological features which are difficult to see although the affect which they have had on the landscape is quite easy to interpret. The Craven Faults were caused by earth movement creating immense pressures on the rock in this area. The rock cracked and forced one huge block to move down against the other. These blocks cover large areas - the block containing Ingleborough Hill is hundreds of square kilometres in size! As the blocks were forced against each other there would have been hardly any lateral displacement but the movement did cause the limestone to fracture and crack resulting in its jointed nature which is easily seen all over the area. Two major faults were created in this area and these can be seen as quite distinct features. One of them, the North Craven Fault, has formed Robin Proctor's Scar, running approximately East/West, whilst the South Craven Fault forms the steeper slope running along from Clapham to Austwick. The limestone between the two faults was tilted and twisted, producing the tilted beds now exposed just North of the stile.
|
Webcraft by q u a n t u m d o t k n o w l e d g e