Rates of cave and landform development in the Yorkshire Dales from speleothem age data

Abstract Uranium‐series ages have been obtained for 87 speleothems collected from nine major cave systems in the Craven district of northern England. Large systems such as Ease Gill Caverns, the West Kingsdale caves, and Gaping Gill‐Ingleborough Cave, which contain relict high‐level tunnels, are found to be older than 350,000 years (the limit of the 230 Th/ 234 U dating method). There is little evidence to indicate a significant enlargement of …