SUMMARY

The glaciated trough of Kingsdale is a classic feature of the Yorkshire Dales, and is drained by a complex of cave systems. Within some cave passages, sediments and stalagmites have been dated to establish an absolute chronology for at least part of the dale's evolution. Much of the excavation of Kingsdale dates back to fluvial erosion early in the Pleistocene; the dale was then modified by pre-Devensian glaciers and excavated to almost its present depth. Devensian ice increased the depth profile by only a few metres, before leaving moraines that impounded a short-lived lake at the lower end of the dale. A post-Devensian channel now cuts through the main recessional moraine at Raven Ray, beneath which lies a deep buried valley.