North Pennines
| North Pennines | |
|---|---|
 Cauldron Snoutin the North Pennines AONB | |
 Location of the North Pennines AONB in the UK | |
| Location | County Durham,Northumberland,North Yorkshire&Cumbriacounties,England |
| Max. elevation | Cross Fell 893 m (2,930 ft) |
| Designated | Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty•UNESCO Global Geopark |
TheNorth Penninesis the northernmost section of thePennine rangeof hills which runs north–south through northernEngland.It lies betweenCarlisleto the west andDarlingtonto the east, straddling the borders of the counties ofCumbria,Durham,NorthumberlandandNorth Yorkshire.It is bounded to the north by theTyne Valleyand to the south by theStainmoreGap.
As a sparsely-populated upland region known for itsmoorlandecology and industrial archaeology, a large part of the North Pennines is protected as aNational Landscapeand aUNESCO Global Geopark.Several major rivers rise in the North Pennines, including theTeesandWear,and form theDurham Dalesvalleys.
Geology
[edit]The North Pennines are formed from a succession largely ofsedimentary rockslaid down during thePalaeozoicera,laterintrudedby theWhin Silland affected byglaciationduring theQuaternaryperiod.
Mudandvolcanic ashdeposited during theOrdovicianandSilurianperiods were buried and subsequentlyfaultedandfoldedduring theCaledonian orogeny,the mudstone becomingslaty.These rocks which are between 500 and 420 million years old are now exposed along the great scarp which defines the western edge of the area and also in aninlierin upperTeesdale.Unseen at the surface but proved in boreholes is the Weardale Granite, abatholithemplaced as molten rock into the slates and other rocks around 400 million years ago. Its presence beneath the region results in it being an upland area sincegraniteis relatively less dense and therefore ‘buoys up’ the North Pennines. This uplifted area is known as theAlston Blockand is partly defined by major faults; the Stublick and Ninety-Fathom faults to the north and the Pennine Fault to the west. To the south is the Stainmore Trough.
Overlying the early Palaeozoic rocks and granite are a succession oflimestones,shalesandmudstonesdating from theCarboniferousperiod. At this time the part of the Earth’s crust which would later become England lay in theequatorialzone and was covered from time to time by shallow tropical seas. Repeated cycles of inundation led to the development of a series ofcyclothems;the laying down of layers of limestone, shale and sandstone with occasionalcoalseams.
Shortly afterwards, (c. 295 million years ago) molten rock once again intruded the sedimentary succession, this time resulting in the emplacement of thedoleriticWhin Sill within the Carboniferous sequence. Known aswhinstonelocally, itbaked the rockswith which it came into contact, resulting in the Sugar Limestone found in upper Teesdale. Cooling of the sill itself resulted in the formation of columnar joints, characteristic of its outcrop at places likeHigh Cup.The sill has been dated at between 301 and 294 million years old thus straddling the Carboniferous/Permian boundary.[1]
Around the start of thePermianperiod, about 290 million years ago, mineral-rich waters, associated with the still warm granite, circulated within the Carboniferous succession and gave rise to mineral-rich veins which have formed the basis of alead miningindustry since at least Roman times.
During the rest of this period and into theTriassicat the start of theMesozoicera, desert sands characterised the area; these are now seen as theNew Red Sandstoneof theVale of Eden,the eastern parts of which form the lower slopes of the Pennine scarp and are within the AONB. There is no bedrock of younger age to be found within the North Pennines; for much of the time since the deposition of the Triassic sandstones, it is likely the area was above sea level and subject toerosion.
A series of major global climate cycles during the currentQuaternaryperiod resulted in a series of ice ages, evidence for thelast ice ageis found within the North Pennines both in term of erosional and depositional features. Glacialtillis widespread anddrumlinare encountered, both indicative of the presence of moving ice within the landscape. It may be that some higher ground was not over-ridden by ice but remained exposed through subject to harsh climatic conditions.Glacial meltwater carved channelsand rivers have continued to shape the landscape in the post-glacial era.[2]
Economy
[edit]Besides farming, mining and quarrying have been a mainstay of the local economy over centuries. The area has in the past been mined and quarried for minerals such as barytes, coal fluorspar, iron, lead, witherite and zinc.[3]
In 2013, a Canadian mining company were allowed to test drill for zinc aroundAllenheadsandNenthead.They said the region was sitting on a "world-class" deposit of zinc and predicted that a new mine in the area could produce 1,000,000 tonnes (980,000 long tons; 1,100,000 short tons) of zinc ore per year.[4]
Natural history
[edit]In the North Pennines National Landscape area are: 40% of the UK's upland hay meadows; 30% of England's upland heathland and 27% of itsblanket bog;80% of England'sblack grouse(and also breedingshort-eared owl,ring ouzel,common snipeandcommon redshank); 36% of the National Landscape area is designated asSites of Special Scientific Interest;red squirrels,ottersand rare arctic alpine plants; 22,000 pairs of breedingwadersand one of England's biggest waterfalls –High Force.[5]The area shares a boundary with theYorkshire Dales National Parkin the south and extends as far as the Tyne Valley, just south ofHadrian's Wallin the north.[6]
The North Pennines are notable for rare flora and fauna, including wild alpine plants not found elsewhere in Britain. It is also home to red squirrels and diverse birds of prey. The impressive landscape of the North Pennines – from High Force on the River Tees to the sweeping valley ofHigh Cup GillaboveDufton– are the product of millions of years of geological processes. The worldwide significance of the geology found in the area was recognised in 2003 when the National Landscape became Britain's firstEuropean Geopark.[7]A year later the area become one of the founding members of theUNESCO-assistedGlobal Geoparkfamily and in 2015 it was accorded official status as a UNESCO Global Geopark.[8]Geoparks are areas with outstanding geological heritage where this is being used to support sustainable development.[9]
Another of the North Pennines' oddities is that it is home to England's only named wind, theHelm Wind.It has caught out many walkers traversing the plateaux aroundCross Fell,theEden Valleyfellside, and the valleys betweenAlstonand Dufton.[10]
Recreation
[edit]One of the many walking routes in the North Pennines isIsaac's Tea Trail,a circular route of 37 miles (60 km) around the area, running fromNinebanksviaAllendale,NentheadandAlston.[11]In addition to this, a large section of thePennine Wayfalls in the AONB,[12]including one of the most celebrated stretches throughTeesdale,a lush valley with dramatic river scenery including the twin attractions of High Force andCauldron Snout.
Culture
[edit]The great English poetW. H. Audenspent much time in this area and some forty poems and two plays are set here. Auden visited the area in 1919 and "five years later was writing poems about Alston Moor and Allendale."[13]He referred to the region as his "Mutterland", his "great good place", and equated it with his idea of Eden. Scores of Pennine place-names are found in his work, includingCauldron SnoutandRookhope.[14][15]
National Landscape
[edit]An area of 770 square miles (2,000 km2) in the North Pennines was designated as anArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty(AONB) in 1988 for itsmoorlandscenery, the product of centuries of farming and lead-mining. It is the second largest of the 49 AONBs in the United Kingdom after the Cotswolds.[16]The landscape of the North Pennines AONB is one of open heather moors between deep dales, upland rivers, hay meadows and stone-built villages, some of which contain the legacies of a mining and industrial past. In 2023, AONBs were rebranded as National Landscapes, and the area is now marketed as the North Pennines National Landscape, although the legal designation remains unchanged.
There is a small National Landscape visitor centre atBowleeswhich aims to provide a gateway toUpper Teesdaleand the wider North Pennines.[17][18]
References
[edit]- ^"GeoIndex Onshore".British Geological Survey.Retrieved8 July2020.
- ^"North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and UNESCO Global Geopark, Geodiversity Action Plan 2018-2022"(PDF).Welcome to the North Pennines.North Pennines AONB Partnership.Retrieved8 July2020.
- ^"BBC - Seven Wonders - North Pennines".BBC.Retrieved5 January2017.
- ^"North Pennines zinc mine 'could create 500 jobs'".BBC News.15 August 2013.Retrieved5 January2017.
- ^"North Pennines AONB".landscapesforlife.org.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 7 March 2017.Retrieved5 January2017.
- ^"North Pennines AONB".landscapesforlife.org.uk.pp. 26–27. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 7 March 2017.Retrieved5 January2017.
- ^"13/08/03 - North Pennines AONB gets Country`s first European Geopark status".cumbria.gov.uk.Retrieved5 January2017.
- ^Henderson, Tony (22 November 2015)."North Pennines is to be formally declared an official UNESCO global geopark".nechronicle.Retrieved5 January2017.
- ^McMillan, A. A. (2008). "The role of the British Geological Survey in geoconservation". In Burek, C. V.; Prosser, C. D. (eds.).The history of geoconservation(1 ed.). London: British Geological Society. p. 108.ISBN978-1-86239-254-0.
- ^Plester, Jeremy (21 April 2013)."Weatherwatch: The rolling clouds of the wind that shook the Normans".The Guardian.Retrieved5 January2017.
- ^"Isaac's Tea Trail - LDWA Long Distance Paths".ldwa.org.uk.Retrieved5 January2017.
- ^Stephenson, Tom (1980).The Pennine Way(2nd ed.). London: H.M.S.O. for the Countryside Commission. pp. 48–67.ISBN0-11-700903-2.
- ^Mitchell, W. R. (September 2007).The Eden Valley and the North Pennines.Phillimore. p. 100.ISBN9781860774508.
- ^"Historic Humanists- Auden, W. H. | The Eloquent Atheist".eloquentatheist.Retrieved5 January2017.
- ^Partridge, Frank (24 February 2007)."North Pennines: Poetry in motion".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 21 June 2022.Retrieved5 January2017.
- ^"Where is the North Pennines".northpennines.org.uk.Retrieved5 January2017.
- ^"Bowlees Visitor Centre".Archived fromthe originalon 13 November 2016.Retrieved27 November2016.
- ^"Winners announced for North East England Tourism Awards".2016.
External links
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