Priddy Caves
Encyclopedia
Priddy Caves is an Area: 67.6 hectare
(167.0 acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest at Priddy
in the Mendip Hills
, Somerset
, notified in 1965.
The entrance to St Cuthbert's Swallet
is incorporated in the adjacent Priddy Pools
SSSI.
The Priddy Caves System contains about 16km of surveyed cave passages divided between a number of major and minor networks. All the caves are sink hole
systems, fed by sink holes at the ground surface. In all the caves the detailed disposition and form of the passages can be seen clearly to have followed marked lines of natural weakness in the rocks.
The three largest networks, Swildon's Hole
, St Cuthbert's Swallet
and Eastwater Cavern
exceed 100 metres in depth. Swildon's Hole
is a world famous example of a shallow depth phreatic
cave, which shows a very well developed dendritic pattern of drainage and contains extensive clastic and stalagmite
fills. Hunter's Hole is an excellent example of a shaft complex draining a closed depression. This cave differs from the others at Priddy in apparently not having formed as a stream swallet. Cave sediments found within the systems, together with the information which can be deduced from the physical form of the caves, provide geologists with the means to obtain a better understanding of the geological evolution of southern Britain during the
Ice Ages.
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
(167.0 acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest at Priddy
Priddy
Priddy is a village in Somerset, England in the Mendip Hills, close to East Harptree and north-west of Wells. It is in the local government district of Mendip....
in the Mendip Hills
Mendip Hills
The Mendip Hills is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon Valley to the north...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, notified in 1965.
The entrance to St Cuthbert's Swallet
St Cuthbert's Swallet
St Cuthbert's Swallet is the second longest, and most complex, cave on the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England. It forms a major part of the Priddy Caves system and water entering this swallet re-emerges at Wookey Hole....
is incorporated in the adjacent Priddy Pools
Priddy Pools
Priddy Pools is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest at Priddy in the Mendip Hills, Somerset, notified in 1972.The pools provided the water supply for the Priddy Mineries which is now a Nature Reserve.- Biological :...
SSSI.
The Priddy Caves System contains about 16km of surveyed cave passages divided between a number of major and minor networks. All the caves are sink hole
Sinkhole
A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...
systems, fed by sink holes at the ground surface. In all the caves the detailed disposition and form of the passages can be seen clearly to have followed marked lines of natural weakness in the rocks.
The three largest networks, Swildon's Hole
Swildon's Hole
Swildon's Hole is an extensive cave in Priddy, Somerset. At in length, it is the longest cave on the Mendip Hills. It has been found to be connected to Priddy Green Sink and forms part of the Priddy Caves Site of Special Scientific Interest ....
, St Cuthbert's Swallet
St Cuthbert's Swallet
St Cuthbert's Swallet is the second longest, and most complex, cave on the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England. It forms a major part of the Priddy Caves system and water entering this swallet re-emerges at Wookey Hole....
and Eastwater Cavern
Eastwater Cavern
Eastwater Cavern is a cave near Priddy in the limestone of the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England. It is also known as Eastwater Swallet. It was first excavated in April 1902 by a team led by Herbert E. Balch composed of paid labourers and volunteers from the Wells Natural History Society...
exceed 100 metres in depth. Swildon's Hole
Swildon's Hole
Swildon's Hole is an extensive cave in Priddy, Somerset. At in length, it is the longest cave on the Mendip Hills. It has been found to be connected to Priddy Green Sink and forms part of the Priddy Caves Site of Special Scientific Interest ....
is a world famous example of a shallow depth phreatic
Phreatic
The term phreatic is used in Earth sciences to refer to matters relating to ground water below the water table . The term 'phreatic surface' indicates the location where the pore water pressure is under atmospheric conditions...
cave, which shows a very well developed dendritic pattern of drainage and contains extensive clastic and stalagmite
Stalagmite
A stalagmite is a type of speleothem that rises from the floor of a limestone cave due to the dripping of mineralized solutions and the deposition of calcium carbonate. This stalagmite formation occurs only under certain pH conditions within the underground cavern. The corresponding formation on...
fills. Hunter's Hole is an excellent example of a shaft complex draining a closed depression. This cave differs from the others at Priddy in apparently not having formed as a stream swallet. Cave sediments found within the systems, together with the information which can be deduced from the physical form of the caves, provide geologists with the means to obtain a better understanding of the geological evolution of southern Britain during the
Ice Ages.