Keld:
The name Keld comes from the Norse meaning a spring. It consists of a close-knit cluster of houses, a farm, chapel, village hall and (the free to enter) Resource Centre. The buildings are of stone quarried locally and the whole village viewed from adjacent high ground is seen to nestle into its surroundings. This hamlet lies within the highest concentration of waterfalls in the whole of England, there being nine significant falls within a mile. Close by is the river Swale which rushes through a deep gorge towards the village of Muker. In the surrounding area are pastures and hay fields capped by open moorland. Lead mining, and to a lesser extent coal, once employed thousands in the area. Limited street parking is available in Keld or if you are staying longer there is honesty box parking for a large number of cars. There is no mobile phone reception in this area but there is free internet available close by.
Keld – United Reform Church
The earliest records show that by 1561 there was a priest in Keld and a map from 1577 confirms a chapel was in existence but by 1722 the chapel was a ruin with no roof. In 1789 Edward Stillman a preacher came to the area, he built a modest chapel and a school where his wife was a teacher. The present day church dates from 1860 when the independent chapel was replaced. Above the off-set arched entrance is the sundial panel dated ‘1840’ and then a round-arched window with the inscription ‘Keld Chapel rebuilt 1860’ on a panel in its head. The gable above is capped by a bell-cote containing a single small bell. The entrance has the same hammer-dressed finish as the corner blocks (quoin). There is an interesting contrast between the quality of the stonework at the front of the church compared to the end and rear.
Joined to the Church is the manse which is now a holiday let while close by are the previous old school building and Literary Institute. The ground floor of the Institute is now a Heritage Centre with displays of local interest. In an area, adjacent to the churchyard, is a Well-Being Garden.
Geology:
There are three kinds of rock: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.
Igneous rocks are produced when molten rock (magma or lava) cools and solidifies. All magma develops underground, in the lower crust or upper mantle, because of the intense heat found there; they can have many different compositions, depending on the magma they cool from and they can look different depending on their cooling conditions. For example, two rocks from identical magma can become either rhyolite or granite, depending on whether they cool quickly or slowly. The two main categories of igneous rocks are extrusive and intrusive. Extrusive rocks are formed on the surface of the Earth from lava, which is magma that has emerged from underground. Intrusive rocks which are also called plutonic rocks are formed from magma that cools and solidifies within the crust of the Earth.
Sedimentary rocks are formed on or near the Earth’s surface, the most important processes that lead to the creation of sedimentary rocks are erosion, weathering, dissolution, precipitation, and lithification. Erosion and weathering slowly break down large rocks into smaller ones, this transforms boulders and even mountains into sediments, such as sand or mud. Dissolution or chemical weathering is the process where water that is slightly acidic slowly disolves the rock. These three processes create the raw materials for new, sedimentary rocks. Precipitation and lithification are processes that build new rocks or minerals. Precipitation is the formation of rocks and minerals from water and lithification is the process by which clay, sand, and other sediments on the bottom of the ocean or other bodies of water are slowly compacted into rocks from the weight of overlying sediments.
Metamorphic rocks result when existing rocks are changed by heat, pressure, or reactive fluids, such as hot, mineral-laden water. These conditions are most often found either deep in Earth’s crust or at plate boundaries where tectonic plates collide. Metamorphic rocks are exposed on the surface of the Earth when there is geologic uplift and the rock and soil above is eroded away. In order to create metamorphic rock, it is vital that the existing rock remain solid and not melt. If there is too much heat or pressure, the rock will melt and become magma which will result in the formation of an igneous rock, not a metamorphic one.
The sedimentary rocks seen at the surface in the Yorkshire Dales were laid down during the Carboniferous Period (299 and 359 million years ago). At that time, this area was situated somewhere near the equator, the warm, shallow sea was rich in small shell creatures and corals. When they died, their remains, consisting mainly of calcium carbonate, were built into a massive layer over an equally massive period of time, and were compressed to form limestone.
During this Period, the world was spinning far faster than today, so days were shorter but more in number (around 400 days in a year), the moon was much closer than it is today so tidal ranges would have been greater. In addition, trees began to evolve and cover the land this resulted in a change from an atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide to one rich in oxygen.
Lying deep underground throughout the majority of the Dales is a foundation block of stone called the ‘Askrigg block’. This is formed of ancient sandstones, slates and gritstone, as well as some granite
In the South, on top of these rocks are near-horizontal layers of ‘Great Scar Limestone’ while in the North there are multiple repeating sequences of shale, sandstone and limestone. The ‘youngest’ rock that can be seen in the Park is the Millstone Grit which mainly now exists at the tops of the high fells.
Limestone is composed mostly of calcite and aragonite which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate and it is white to grey in colour. Most sandstones are composed of quartz or feldspar they may be any colour due to impurities within the minerals, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow, red, grey, pink, white, and black.
In the past, uplift caused the limestone beds to crack, mineral rich hot water is injected from deep within the crust and mantle into cracks in the surface rocks, particularly the more pourous limestone. As the water cooled minerals were deposited in crystal form, galena (the mineral form of lead ore) was just one of many minerals to be deposited; others include calcite, fluorspar, barites and pyrites.
EarthCache questions:
- Describe the colour, grain size of the rocks used to form the doorway and those that infill between the left hand corner and the doorway.
- Identify what type of rock that has been used around the doorway and what type has been used for the infill?
- From the entrance walk to the corner furthest to your right and face the side where the grave of Hilda Cox is located. Count up six blocks from the ground examine the surface at the corner, and highlight how it is different from the stone immediately above or below.
To claim the EarthCache please e-mail or message the answers via my caching profile.
If you would like to add to the Church Micro series yourself then please look here
http://churchmicro.co.uk/
There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page that can be found at
http://www.15ddv.me.uk/geo/cm/index.html