Cave & Karst Science (ISSN 1356-191X)

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Contents of Cave & Karst Science 48(2)

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Cave and Karst Science (iv + 52pp) (PDF 8.2MB)        Individual articles may be available below

GUNN, John and David LOWE (eds.). (2021). Cave and Karst Science 48(2). Buxton: British Cave Research Association. ISSN 1356-191X. iv + 52pp, A4, with photos, maps and diagrams.
This issue has a cover date of 2021 (August) and was published in September 2021.

The Transactions of the British Cave Research Association

Front cover photo (page i) (PDF 395KB)     

by Andy FARRANT.
Dissolution pipes infilled with brown clay in Upper Cretaceous Chalk at Seaford Head, East Sussex, UK. (Photo: Andy Farrant).

 

Notes for Contributors (page ii) (PDF 266KB)     

 

Contents (p41) (PDF 382KB)     

 

Editorial (p42) (PDF 337KB)     

by David LOWE and John GUNN.

 

Caves in the Chalk: a personal perspective from 50 years of observations (pp43-55) (PDF 2.6MB)     

by Terry REEVE.
The possibility of cave development occurring in rocks of the Cretaceous Chalk Group has long been a topic of considerable debate and speculation. As recently as 1960 the consensus of informed opinion was that the Chalk was non-cavernous, and any disagreement with this view was not taken seriously. Nevertheless, several significantly earlier references to natural Chalk caves survived in a variety of natural history, geological and hydrological publications, which had either been forgotten or overlooked. It was also well-known that extensive cave systems, including some active stream passages, had been discovered in the continuation of the Chalk Group outcrop in northern France.
A major change of view began in 1975, when a substantial relict phreatic cave passage was discovered, truncated by a sea cliff, at St Margaret's Bay in Kent. Before long, this discovery was followed by cave discoveries in other Chalk cliff exposures in Kent, Sussex (including the 354m-long Beachy Head Cave), Devon, the Isle of Wight, and Yorkshire.
This article provides an overview of the characteristics of the many short caves that have been explored in the last few decades, providing evidence that some karstic cave development does occur in the Chalk of England. Most of the Chalk caves discovered so far are relict caves exposed in coastal cliffs, which probably developed at considerable depths beneath the land surface, pre-dating the modern land surface and the natural cliff lines that have intersected them. A few caves have also been intersected by chalk quarries, and encountered in man-made wells and boreholes. Additionally, several examples of active vadose cave development are known at sites where surface streams sink into the Chalk.
Classification: Feature.
Date: Received: 24 July 2020; Accepted: 10 July 2021.

Bibliograph: REEVE, Terry. (2021). Caves in the Chalk: a personal perspective from 50 years of observations. Cave and Karst Science 48(2), pp43-55.

 

An interim report on an assemblage of late medieval dogs from a cave on the Gower Peninsula, South Wales (pp56-64) (PDF 1.4MB)     

by John S COOPER and David J HUGHES.
The skeletal remains, disassociated skulls and teeth representing more than 50 domesticated dogs (Canis familiaris) have been recovered from a previously unexcavated cave, near Overton on the Gower Peninsula, South Wales. The 'Overton Dogs' are believed to represent the largest assemblage of ancient dogs recovered from a single site anywhere in the British Isles. The difference between two radiocarbon dates constrains the deposition of all dogs recovered from the cave to a range of 84–263 years during the 12th–14th centuries (late medieval Norman and Plantagenet periods).
Skull and limb bone measurements were recorded using standard zooarchaeological methods and a number of morphological grades, or 'types', of dog were identified. These morphological differences include dogs with some of the longest ancient dog skulls on record, dogs with large, long, and slender dolichocephalic skulls, powerfully built dogs with strong mesaticephalic facial features, mid-sized dogs, and small dogs with strongly brachycephalic, pug-like features.
Recovered from a rural coastal cliff-top setting, the dogs might have fallen into the cave, singly or in groups, but together the assemblage represents a comprehensive cross-section of late medieval dog morphological types.
Classification: Paper.
Date: Received: 10 March 2021; Accepted: 14 May 2021.
Keywords: zooarchaeology, late medieval dogs, Gower Peninsula, cave archaeology.

Bibliograph: COOPER, John S and David J HUGHES. (2021). An interim report on an assemblage of late medieval dogs from a cave on the Gower Peninsula, South Wales. Cave and Karst Science 48(2), pp56-64.

 

Caves and karst of the Chalk in East Sussex, UK: implications for groundwater management (pp65-83) (PDF 2.8MB)     

by Andrew R FARRANT, Louise MAURICE, Eleanor MATHEWSON, Matthew ASCOTT, Graham EARL, Debbie WILKINSON and Steve HOWE.
The Upper Cretaceous Chalk of East Sussex is well exposed on the coastal cliff sections between Brighton and Eastbourne. Previous work by Terry Reeve and members of the Chelsea Spelaeological Society identified several caves along the Sussex coast, highlighting the presence of karst. Other evidence of karst comes from active conduits intersected in boreholes and in adits dug for groundwater abstraction, dissolution pipes and cavities encountered in construction projects, and dolines observed on remote sensing data. To understand the extent of cave and conduit development in the Chalk, and how they are related to Chalk lithostratigraphy, a review of the evidence for karst in the area was undertaken, coupled with a detailed survey of the coastal section between Seaford and Eastbourne. Over 50 cave and karst features were identified along the coast, the vast majority being associated with key inception horizons in the Chalk, particularly marl seams and sheet flints. Some are developed on vertical fractures. The data are used to develop a conceptual understanding of Chalk karst and examine the implications for groundwater management.
Classification: Paper.
Date: Received: 25 July 2021; Accepted: 09 August 2021.
Keywords: Chalk, Sussex, karst, groundwater, cave, conduit, dissolution.

Bibliograph: FARRANT, Andrew R; Louise MAURICE, Eleanor MATHEWSON, Matthew ASCOTT, Graham EARL, Debbie WILKINSON and Steve HOWE. (2021). Caves and karst of the Chalk in East Sussex, UK: implications for groundwater management. Cave and Karst Science 48(2), pp65-83.

 

Caves and karst of the Chalk in East Sussex, UK: implications for groundwater management (On-line supplement) (pp S1-S44) (PDF 11.9MB)     

Online supplement to above paper.

 

Historical graffiti in the underground quarry at Windrush, Gloucestershire, UK (pp84-87) (PDF 1.0MB)     

by Joe DUXBURY and Jon MAISEY.
The many graffiti in the underground stone quarry at Windrush have been recorded and analyzed. This report presents a brief discussion of what can be learned from these graffiti.
Classification: Report.
Date: Received: 18 June 2021; Accepted: 01 July 2021.

Bibliograph: DUXBURY, Joe and Jon MAISEY. (2021). Historical graffiti in the underground quarry at Windrush, Gloucestershire, UK. Cave and Karst Science 48(2), pp84-87.

 

BCRA Field Meeting Report: Arnside and Silverdale AONB, Lancashire/Cumbria, 17 July 2021 (pp88-89) (PDF 1.5MB)     

by Vince SIMMONDS.
Classification: Forum.

 

Book Reviews (pp90-92)

(1) Jean G Shaw, 2020, Caves and karst of the Congo Republic, central and northern Gabon.
(2) June Harvey (Editor), 2020, The Sherwill Journals, 1840–1843: Voyages and Encounters in the Eastern Cape of Southern Africa.
(3) Tony Waltham, 2021, The Peak District – Landscape and Geology.
(4) Jürg Meyer, 2021, Rocks and Rock Formations, a Key to Identification.
Classification: Forum.

 

Research Fund and Grants (page iii) (PDF 277KB)     

 

Back cover photos (page iv) (PDF 441KB)     

by Andrew FARRANT and Terry REEVE.
Collage comprises five images relating to aspects of karst features within the Chalk of southeastern England. Brief comments on the individual images are provided on the contents page (Photos: Andrew Farrant, Terry Reeve).