Earth Science Conservation Review
| East Cuilcagh - Black Pot | Fermanagh |
| Site Type: | Cave, Pothole |
| Site Status: | ASSI |
| Council area: | Fermanagh District Council |
| Grid Reference: | H16362940 |
| Google maps: | 54.21375,-7.75014 |
| Rocks | |
|---|---|
| Rock Age: | Quaternary (Holocene) |
| Rock Type: | Limestone |
| Interest | |
| Other interest: | bedding, rift, pothole |
Summary of site:
This impressive shake hole, with its waterfall spilling over the north wall, gives access to a wet crawl ending at a rift, 8m deep. A further crawl from the bottom of the rift leads to another of 9m, then to a further passage containing the stream.
Behind the waterfall a crawl leads to Calcutta Hole which can be descended in dry weather by climbing down the fragile chert ledges on its walls. A crawl from here leads back to the waterfall and a drop into a passage along which the stream flows to a pool that drains into the passage floor. The continuation of this passage ends in a sump. In an attempt to avoid the sump, digging at the top of Calcutta Hole yielded a narrow, difficult passage extending on to a chert floor with a small stream. From here a low bedding plane crawl leads to a small chamber with a chert floor, now breached to reach another low crawl dropping into a somewhat larger passage that ends in a shaft 33m deep. From its floor, 300m of high rift of variable width leads on to the top of another flooded pitch, with all signs that it backs up in wet conditions.
The geology of the cave is not described but at the surface the stream appears to flow off the Meenymore Formation before sinking through the thick bedded Carn Limestone Member and possibly a thin development of the Cloghany Limestone Member (both components of the Dartry Limestone Formation). It then reaches the cherty, well-bedded Dartry Limestone proper. The main pothole developments appear to be mainly in the Dartry, although at depth it may penetrate the Carrickmacsparrow Limestone Member.
Behind the waterfall a crawl leads to Calcutta Hole which can be descended in dry weather by climbing down the fragile chert ledges on its walls. A crawl from here leads back to the waterfall and a drop into a passage along which the stream flows to a pool that drains into the passage floor. The continuation of this passage ends in a sump. In an attempt to avoid the sump, digging at the top of Calcutta Hole yielded a narrow, difficult passage extending on to a chert floor with a small stream. From here a low bedding plane crawl leads to a small chamber with a chert floor, now breached to reach another low crawl dropping into a somewhat larger passage that ends in a shaft 33m deep. From its floor, 300m of high rift of variable width leads on to the top of another flooded pitch, with all signs that it backs up in wet conditions.
The geology of the cave is not described but at the surface the stream appears to flow off the Meenymore Formation before sinking through the thick bedded Carn Limestone Member and possibly a thin development of the Cloghany Limestone Member (both components of the Dartry Limestone Formation). It then reaches the cherty, well-bedded Dartry Limestone proper. The main pothole developments appear to be mainly in the Dartry, although at depth it may penetrate the Carrickmacsparrow Limestone Member.
| Enlander, I., Dempster, M. & Doughty, P., 2024. East Cuilcagh - Black Pot, County Fermanagh, site summary. [In] Earth Science Conservation Review. https://www.habitas.org.uk/escr/summary.php?item=324. Accessed on 2024-12-26 |
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