With Tav, Jon, Nick, and Jake
My turn to dig, Tav was clearing away the filled bags and rocks, Jon was transporting the spoil along the NE passage to the pot and hauling it up to Nick on the ledge. Initially, Jake was at the bottom of the entrance then moved up to the surface where with Nick’s help the bags were hauled out and emptied – top effort resulting in more time for digging at the end.
Digging was concentrated to the right hand [SE] side of the approximately 3.5m wide x 2m deep x 1m high chamber. When the opportunity arose Tav came forward to fill a few bags from the left side. The sediment in the dig face consists alternating layers of red-brown silty sand, grey silt, and light red clay. At the base, a rockier layer with conglomerate boulders and mineral bands. Within the fine sediments there is visible evidence for successions of flood events followed by periods of standing water and drier conditions. What is not clear is the time spans between these events.
Sediment layers exposed in the current dig-face. Top left – NW to bottom right – SE, dig-face c.3.5m wide x c.1m high.
Digging ceased at 12:30, I took some photos while the last few bags were moved out to the surface. All the bags empty, cave secured, it was time for the pub.
