The Peak District

Abstract

The Peak District is a landscape of contrasts—bleak moorland plateaux with escarpments (edges) and deep valleys of the Dark Peak and Eastern Moors; dales and caves of the White Peak fashioned out of limestones, sandstones (gritstones), and shales—all modified by glacial, periglacial and paraglacial processes during Quaternary ice ages. The Dark Peak is especially vulnerable to landslides and other mass movements; several well-known deep-seated landslides have occurred there. Karstification of the White Peak limestones has created a prime example of relict fluviokarst and extensive cave systems, many of which contain fine displays of speleothems. Humans have exploited the rock and mineral resources of the Peak District, mining for lead, copper, fluorspar and other minerals, with limestone aggregates and sandstone building stones being the chief current commodities. Mining and quarrying have produced human-made landforms: mine shafts, spoil heaps, quarries. Balancing the region’s geological heritage with tourism and the livelihoods of residents presents a challenge for geoconservation efforts.