A GEOLOGICAL RAMBLE TO INGLECOROt'GH 99 



a few half wild sheep were grazing. It is ahout 400 yards long by about 

 250 yards wide. It is supposed to have been the site of an old British 

 hill-fort. We saw what has been pointed out as, the remains of the wall 

 that encircled it, and it certainly has the appearance of having been the 

 work of hands. 



The old writers used to prodigiously magnify the heights of these 

 mountains. Ingleborough was supposed to be the highest mountain in 

 Britain, its bold imposing position, perhaps gave rise to this erroneous 

 supposition. Even old Mr. Jeifery's gives its height to be one mile, 

 Whernside one mile and twenty yards ; and Pennygant twenty yards less 

 than a mile. But the true heights according to the ordnance maps are as 

 follows: — Whernside 2414 feet; Ingleborough 2373 feet ; and Pennygant 

 2272 feet. 



The deep vale of Greta separates Ingleborough from Whernside, 

 which seems to be within a stone throw, and yet the map tells us that 

 it is four long miles distant ; while Pennygant to the south-east seems 

 very little further, though we know that six long and dreary miles inter- 

 vene between us and its summit. But so deceptive are the distances 

 between those mountains, that it requires some experience, before we can 

 fully believe they are so great. The day was somewhat hazy and we 

 could see very little beyond Ingleton, but still the prospect was grand and 

 imposing and such as to amply repay the trouble of ascending. 



The geological formation of Ingleborough and the siurounding 

 district belongs to the mountain limestone series which reposes on the slate 

 rock, in a great mass from 500 to GOO feet in thickness; upon that lies a 

 great thickness of shales, and sandstones with alternations of beds of 

 limestone ; the whole being crowned by grit-rocks. This district owes its 

 pecviliar features to the great Craven Fault, which begins a little above 

 Ingleton and passes through Craven to Threshfield a distance of thirty 

 miles; and has thrown up the strata to the north-east as much as 3,000 

 feet at Ingleborough and Pennygant ; 1000 feet at Settle and Malham, 

 and 600 feet at Threshfield where it is lost in a number of smaller ones. 

 One curious effect of this Fault is seen in the coal-field just below Ingle- 

 ton. These coal beds are 2,000 feet below where we are now standing, and 

 yet the lowest bed of these coal-strata rests upon Millstone-grit, the same 

 rock we are now standing on. There is another little coal-field, on the 

 othor side of this great limestone tract, at Hartley-burn on the south 

 Tyne, which is the exact counterpart of this Ingleton one. It has been 



