The discovery and exploration of Danby Level Caverns, and their morphology in relation to other large maze caves in the Northern Pennines,UK

摘要

Several complex and extensive maze caves, most only accessible from redundant mine workings, have been discovered in the Northern Pennines of the United Kingdom over the last few decades, and are known to have hypogenic origins. In early 2019 a further such system, Danby Level Caverns, was discovered in Arkengarthdale, North Yorkshire, and this has now been explored and surveyed. It has a surveyed plan length of 2.2km and differs in morphology from similar previously explored caves in having numerous low and wide passages (in contrast to the typical rift-shaped passages of other systems). This is thought to reflect locally anomalous aspects of the geology within a fault-bounded block of the Early Namurian (Pendleian) Great Limestone Member.