Pate Hole
Encyclopedia
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
, located near the small village of Great Asby
Great Asby
Great Asby is a village in Cumbria, England. It is located approximately south east of Penrith and approximately south of Appleby-in-Westmorland...
in the Asby
Asby, Eden
Asby is a civil parish in the Eden district of Cumbria, England. It includes Great Asby and Little Asby. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 280....
area of Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
.
The main Pate Hole cave was surveyed in 1960 by Phil Davies and Jack Whaddon. Later explorations have shown that the cave runs approximately 30m below the surface, for approximately 1000m.
The cave extends 400m before reaching a chamber with a pool of around 20m in length. The direction of the cave then changes and continues for 200m more.
The full extent of the cave complex is not known as a number of the cross rifts have proven too small for human explorers to enter. Approximately 30m from the main shaft to the surface is a deep sump
Sump
A sump is a low space that collects any often-undesirable liquids such as water or chemicals. A sump can also be an infiltration basin used to manage surface runoff water and recharge underground aquifers....
, notable for its unusually clear water and estimated at approximately 40m deep.
The source of the water in the sump is not known, but it is speculated to originate in limestone of the nearby Great Asby Ridge. In times of flood or heavy rainfall the cave fills with water which emerges from the main entrance as a spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
; however, this is not common.