Malham

The view from the top of Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, North Yorkshire, UK, looking South. The camera used was an Olympus AZ-1 with a comparatively-low resolution by today's standards but the results were usually good. More information about Malham and Malham Cove here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malham_cove

Malham Cove is a natural limestone formation in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, 1 km north of the village of Malham, North Yorkshire, England. A well-known beauty spot, it is a large, curved limestone cliff at the head of a valley, with a fine area of limestone pavement at the top. On the west side of the 80 metre / 260 feet high cliff face are about 400 irregular stone steps: these form part of the route of the "Pennine Way" long-distance (approx. 270 miles) footpath. Camera: Olympus AZ1 (low resolution by today's standards...only 3 megapixels). More Information here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malham_Cove

Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, England. Camera: Olympus AZ1. Malham Cove is a natural limestone formation 1 km north of the village of Malham, North Yorkshire, England. A well-known beauty spot, it is a large, curved limestone cliff at the head of a valley, with a fine area of limestone pavement at the top. On the west side of the 80 metre (260 foot) high cliff face are about 400 irregular stone steps: these form part of the route of the Pennine Way. Originally, a large waterfall flowed over the cove as a glacier melted above it. The remnant of a stream which once fell over the cliff now flows out of the lake of Malham Tarn, on the moors 2 km north of the cove. That stream now disappears underground at the aptly named 'Water Sinks', 1.5 kilometres (one mile) before it's valley reaches the top of the cove. A stream of a similar size (Malham Beck) emerges from a cave at the bottom of the cove. It used to be assumed that the two streams were one and the same. However, experiments with dyes have now shown that two separate streams go underground at different locations, cross paths without mixing behind the cliff, and re-emerge a couple of kilometres apart. This shows the complexity of the system of caves behind the cliff, which is thought to be around 50,000 years old. (Wikipedia). www.ipernity.com/group/england

Malham Cove is a natural limestone formation 1 km north of the village of Malham, North Yorkshire, England. A well-known beauty spot, it is a large, curved limestone cliff at the head of a valley, with a fine area of limestone pavement at the top. On the west side of the 80 metre (260 foot) high cliff face are about 400 irregular stone steps: these form part of the route of the Pennine Way. Originally, a large waterfall flowed over the cove as a glacier melted above it. The remnant of a stream which once fell over the cliff now flows out of the lake of Malham Tarn, on the moors 2 km north of the cove. That stream now disappears underground at the aptly named 'Water Sinks', 1.5 kilometres (one mile) before its valley reaches the top of the cove. A stream of a similar size (Malham Beck) emerges from a cave at the bottom of the cove. It used to be assumed that the two streams were one and the same. However, experiments with dyes have now shown that two separate streams go underground at different locations, cross paths without mixing behind the cliff, and re-emerge a couple of kilometres apart. This shows the complexity of the system of caves behind the cliff, which is thought to be around 50,000 years old. The cove, along with nearby Gordale Scar, was featured in an episode of the BBC TV series "Seven Natural Wonders" as one of the natural wonders of Yorkshire. The cove was also featured in the film "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1)" as one of the places Hermione and Harry travel to. (Wikipedia).

A limestone pavement is a natural karst landform consisting of a flat, incised surface of exposed limestone that resembles an artificial pavement. The term is mainly used in the UK where many of these landforms have developed distinctive surface patterning resembling blocks of paving. Similar landforms in other parts of the world are known as alvars. Conditions for limestone pavements are created when an advancing glacier scrapes away overburden and exposes horizontally-bedded limestone, with subsequent glacial retreat leaving behind a flat, bare surface. Limestone is slightly soluble in water and especially in acid rain, so corrosive drainage along joints and cracks in the limestone can produce slabs called "clints" isolated by deep fissures called "grikes" or "grykes" (terms derived from the North of England dialect). If the grykes are fairly straight and the clints are uniform in size, the resemblance to man-made paving stones is striking, but often they are less regular. Limestone pavements that develop beneath a mantle of topsoil usually exhibit more rounded forms. Limestone pavements can be found in many previously-glaciated limestone environments around the world. Notable examples are found in the Yorkshire Dales in Northern England, such as those above Malham Cove and on the side of Ingleborough Hill. They are also found in the Stora Alvaret in Öland, Sweden; in the Burren, County Clare, Ireland and in the Désert de Platé in the French Alps. (Wikipedia). More Information here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malham_Cove