Francis Flood built a lime kiln here sometime in the late
1800's. Lime was an important industrial product at the time, used
in fertilizer, mortar and plaster among other uses. This site was
used until 1906 when Portland Cement overtook it as a building
product. This site was chosen because of the limestone exposed by
the Hazeldean Fault. It was quarried, brought to the kiln and
burned in the 'pot'. This site has plenty of exposed rock,
including beds of limestone that have been been scraped clean of
soil by glacial action.
This type of 'rock garden' is called an alvar from the
Scandinavian term that first described it. The limestone beds have
fissures, or grikes/grykes, that allow water through and limestone
is soluble in water. The resulting erosion leaves a landscape with
little soil, poor drainage and extremes of temperatures. In the
spring the area is flooded and water can bubble up out of the
fissures so rubber boots are ideal, and in the summer it can be a
very dry and hot area.
To log this EarthCache you must complete four tasks.
1.Photograph yourself at the Lime Kiln Ruins. Several buildings
are still available.
2.How many buildings were originally on this site?
3.Estimate the height of the quarry face near the ruins. This is
where the limestone was removed.
4.Go to the alvar at the co-ordinates I've provided. Photograph
the fissure/grike at the site with your GPSr showing the
co-ordinates. The photograph should show the co-ordinates and
whether water is fountaining out of the fissure or if it is
dry.
Post the photographs with your log and email me the answers to
the questions through my profile link, do not include them in your
log.