Rod's Pot
Encyclopedia
Rod's Pot is a limestone
cave above Burrington Combe
in the Mendip Hills
, in Somerset
, England
.
The cave was first excavated in 1944 by the University of Bristol Spelæological Society
. It is one of a line of swallets marking the junction of the Limestone shales with the Carboniferous Limestones
where water running off the Old Red Sandstone
of Blackdown finds its way underground.
Further excavation has now linked Rod's Pot to nearby Bath Swallet.
The cave was originally known as Pearce's Pot after Dr Rodney Pearce.
The entry chamber divides into two passages about 30 feet (9.1 m) high and 40 feet (12.2 m) long. They merge again at the top of a 50 feet (15.2 m) deep vertical pothole which is a dead end. From the top of the pothole a 30 feet (9.1 m) long passage leads to the roof of the main chamber. The main chamber is about 70 feet (21.3 m) long, 20 feet (6.1 m) high and slopes down some 40 feet (12.2 m). It contains a stalagmite
pillar formation and several stalactite
curtains.
A small hole leads to a smaller chamber about 2 foot (0.6096 m) high in which is a stalactite curtain about 8 feet (2.4 m) long and which is translucent and coloured with stripes of reddish-brown deposits. A further passageway leads to the terminal pothole.
At the base of the Bear Pit, a 3 meter deep chamber reached through a small hole halfway through the cave, a pool containing a small community of Niphargus fontanus been found.
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
cave above Burrington Combe
Burrington Combe
Burrington Combe is a carboniferous limestone gorge near the village of Burrington, on the north side of the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in North Somerset, England....
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...
, in 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The cave was first excavated in 1944 by the University of Bristol Spelæological Society
University of Bristol Spelæological Society
The University of Bristol Spelæological Society was founded in 1919 by cavers in the University of Bristol. Among its earliest activities was the archaeological excavation of Aveline's Hole....
. It is one of a line of swallets marking the junction of the Limestone shales with the Carboniferous Limestones
Carboniferous limestone
Carboniferous Limestone is a term used to describe a variety of different types of limestone occurring widely across Great Britain and Ireland which were deposited during the Dinantian epoch of the Carboniferous period. They were formed between 363 and 325 million years ago...
where water running off the Old Red Sandstone
Old Red Sandstone
The Old Red Sandstone is a British rock formation of considerable importance to early paleontology. For convenience the short version of the term, 'ORS' is often used in literature on the subject.-Sedimentology:...
of Blackdown finds its way underground.
Further excavation has now linked Rod's Pot to nearby Bath Swallet.
The cave was originally known as Pearce's Pot after Dr Rodney Pearce.
Main Features
Rod's Pot is formed mainly of vertical rift passages, probably in the original joints in the limestone which have been enlarged by water action. The north wall of the main chamber is a continuation of the main chamber in Read's Cave, a quarter mile to the west.The entry chamber divides into two passages about 30 feet (9.1 m) high and 40 feet (12.2 m) long. They merge again at the top of a 50 feet (15.2 m) deep vertical pothole which is a dead end. From the top of the pothole a 30 feet (9.1 m) long passage leads to the roof of the main chamber. The main chamber is about 70 feet (21.3 m) long, 20 feet (6.1 m) high and slopes down some 40 feet (12.2 m). It contains a 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...
pillar formation and several stalactite
Stalactite
A stalactite , "to drip", and meaning "that which drips") is a type of speleothem that hangs from the ceiling of limestone caves. It is a type of dripstone...
curtains.
A small hole leads to a smaller chamber about 2 foot (0.6096 m) high in which is a stalactite curtain about 8 feet (2.4 m) long and which is translucent and coloured with stripes of reddish-brown deposits. A further passageway leads to the terminal pothole.
At the base of the Bear Pit, a 3 meter deep chamber reached through a small hole halfway through the cave, a pool containing a small community of Niphargus fontanus been found.