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Vurley Swallet

Middle Down, Cheddar.

NGR:ST 47994 53390
WGS84:51.27727, -2.74697
Length:151 m
Depth:100 m
Altitude:223 m
Tags:Cave, Dig, CROW
Registry:mcr-cs

The cave is basically a large boulder ruckle with small natural chambers aligned with solid bedding wall. The cave follows dip towards the SW where digging progresses downwards in boulders adjacent to a solid vertical wall. The cave consists of 4 chambers linked by shafts through boulder ruckles ending in an excavated bouldery rift that opens onto a short section of open cave in solid rock. Beyond an 11 m pitch into a chamber opens into a bedding passage leading down dip then 3 further pitches of 20m, 6m, and 7m (estimated). Current end is a boulder choked phreatic rift. CO2 levels over 3% recorded regularly (2019).

Alternate Names: None recorded.

Notes: Filled in by the farmer 20 years ago but the ground is still sinking.

The swallet lies in a closed depression on the South West Overthrust and associated faults. There are a number of these closed basins running back to Brimble Pit and beyond. The nearest contains the dig at Middledown Drove dug by Devenish et al in 1949. Its likely these basins contained glacial lakes and around 18,000 years ago in arid periglacial conditions they began to fill with wind blown loess which now overlays the limestone to a depth of seven metres. An association of cavers from several clubs started digging here in 2015.

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This entry was last updated: 2024-03-02 14:13:41

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