Earth:Sidcot Swallet

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Short description: Cave in Somerset, England
Sidcot Swallet
Map showing the location of Sidcot Swallet
Map showing the location of Sidcot Swallet
LocationBurrington Combe, Somerset, England
OS gridST47545828
Coordinates [ ⚑ ] : 51°19′17″N 2°45′15″W / 51.32128°N 2.75405°W / 51.32128; -2.75405
Depth28 metres (92 ft)
Length206 metres (676 ft)
Elevation149 metres (489 ft)
GeologyLimestone
Entrances1
DifficultyEasy
HazardsNone
AccessFree
RegistryMendip Cave Registry[1]

Sidcot Swallet is a cave near Burrington Combe, in the Carboniferous Limestone of the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England .

It was named after the Sidcot School Speleological Society who explored it in 1925.[2]

A swallet, also known as a sinkhole, sink, shakehole, swallow hole or doline, is a natural depression or hole in the surface topography caused by the removal of soil or bedrock, often both, by water flowing beneath.

After Goatchurch Cavern, Sidcot Swallet is probably the most popular cave on Mendip for novice parties. What it lacks in length or depth is adequately compensated for by its sporty squeezes and narrow crawls. Despite its popularity, many calcite formations still remain intact in the farthest reaches of the cave.[3]

See also

References

  1. "Sidcot Swallet". Mendip Cave Registry & Archive. http://www.mcra.org.uk/registry/sitedetails.php?id=61. Retrieved 2012-03-30. 
  2. Witcombe, Richard (2009). Who was Aveline anyway?: Mendip's Cave Names Explained (2nd ed.). Priddy: Wessex Cave Club. p. 161. ISBN 978-0-9500433-6-4. 
  3. Irwin, David; Knibbs, Anthony (1977). Mendip Underground: A Cavers Guide. Somerset: Mendip Publishing. ISBN 0-9536103-0-6.