Flood Entrance Pot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Flood Entrance Pot |
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| Flood Exit Pot | |
Flood Entrance Pot Entrance
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| Location | Ingleborough, North Yorkshire, UK |
| OS grid | SD 7513 7242 |
| Depth | 146 metres (479 ft) (To bottom of South East Pot) |
| Length | 248 metres (814 ft) |
| Elevation | 396 metres (1,299 ft) |
| Discovery | 1909 |
| Geology | Carboniferous limestone |
| Entrances | 3 |
| Difficulty | IV |
| Hazards | verticality |
| Access | Permit |
| Cave survey | 1980 LUSS survey on Cavemaps |
Flood Entrance Pot (also called Flood Exit Pot) is a cool cave entrance in the Gaping Gill cave system. It's found about 300 meters (330 yards) south of the main Gaping Gill entrance. This was the first other way into the huge Gaping Gill system that people explored.
Today, Flood Entrance Pot is a popular way for cavers to get into the system. It has an impressive 38-meter (125-foot) drop, called a pitch, which lands you right in Gaping Gill's South-East Passage. The cave is located in a special natural area called the Ingleborough Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Contents
Exploring Flood Entrance Pot
When you enter Flood Entrance Pot, you first climb down into a small shakehole. A shakehole is like a funnel-shaped dip in the ground, often where water drains into a cave. From there, you'll find a tight 15-meter (49-foot) pitch.
At the bottom of this pitch, the passage goes under a tall, open space called an aven. This aven is where another entrance, Wade's Entrance, joins the cave. After about 80 meters (260 feet), the passage twists and turns until it meets where the last pitch of OBJ Hole enters.
Inside the Cave Passages
Further along, about 30 meters (98 feet) from the OBJ Hole connection, you'll reach a chamber. Here, a small stream flows in from another passage. If you follow the stream downstream, you'll go through several climbs and a 14-meter (46-foot) pitch.
These lead to the main pitch, which is 77 meters (253 feet) deep! At the 38-meter (125-foot) mark, you can step into the South-East Passage of Gaping Gill. However, the shaft continues even deeper in two parts, forming the South-East Pot.
South-East Pot and Underwater Passages
The South-East Pot ends in a 29-meter (95-foot) deep pool. This pool is like a window into a large underwater passage. Scientists have used special dyes to show that water from Gaping Gill's Main Chamber and from Stream Passage Pot flows through this hidden underwater route.
Above the final shaft of Flood Entrance Pot, there's a tight passage called Horrocks-Stearn Crawl. This crawl connects Flood Entrance Pot to another cave called Bar Pot, just above its main pitch.
Other Entrances to Flood Entrance Pot
Flood Entrance Pot isn't the only way into this part of the cave system. There are two other known entrances that connect to it.
Wade's Entrance
Wade's Entrance is another way in, located about 30 meters (98 feet) northeast of Flood Entrance Pot. To enter, you climb down about 3 meters (10 feet). This leads to the top of a 23-meter (75-foot) pitch.
This pitch drops into the main passage just a few meters downstream from Flood Entrance Pot's first pitch. Wade's Entrance is often considered an easier way to get into the cave than the original Flood Entrance Pot.
OBJ Pot
OBJ Pot is a third entrance, found about 80 meters (260 feet) northeast of Flood Entrance Pot, right next to a path. It starts with a 4-meter (13-foot) pitch that you can climb down without ropes.
After that, there's a 12-meter (39-foot) pitch, followed by an 18-meter (59-foot) pitch that is blocked by small stones and gravel. The actual way forward is at the bottom of the second pitch. A very tight crack, called a rift, leads into an equally tight passage that joins the roof of the main Flood Entrance Pot passage.
History of Discovery
People have been exploring these caves for a long time, with different groups making important discoveries.
Early Discoveries (1906-1909)
The South-East Pot was first explored in 1906 by the Yorkshire Ramblers' Club. They climbed down about 15 meters (49 feet) and noticed a tall aven above them. This aven later turned out to be the final pitch of Flood Entrance Pot. The bottom of the shaft was finally reached in May of the next year.
Flood Entrance Pot itself was first entered in 1909 by the Yorkshire Speleological Association. They were inspired to look for an entrance after finding flies and a red worm at the bottom of South-East Pot. They figured these creatures must have come from the surface, down the tall aven above. The cave got its name because it allowed cavers to enter the Gaping Gill system even when the main entrance was flooded.
Opening Up New Entrances
Wade's Entrance was opened up by the Bradford Pothole Club in 1957. A caver named Eric Wade couldn't fit through the tight squeeze at Flood Entrance. So, he started digging in a nearby shakehole and eventually broke through after hearing voices from inside the cave.
OBJ Pot was opened by the British Speleological Association in August 1949. It was named after a beer called "Oh be joyful" from Dutton's brewery. The connection between OBJ Pot and Flood Entrance Pot was finally made by the Bradford Pothole Club in May 2010. They made the tight rift at the bottom of the second pitch wider, allowing access.
In 1980, the Lancaster University Speleological Society created a detailed map and description of the cave, which helps cavers understand the system better.
