Rhino Rift

Rhino Rift
Map showing the location of Rhino Rift
Location Charterhouse, Somerset, UK
OS grid ST48475557
Coordinates 51°17′49″N 2°44′25″W / 51.296958°N 2.740387°WCoordinates: 51°17′49″N 2°44′25″W / 51.296958°N 2.740387°W
Depth 147 metres (482 ft)
Length 253 metres (830 ft)
Discovery 1971
Geology Limestone
Entrances 1
Hazards Loose boulders
Access Restricted

Rhino Rift is a cave near Charterhouse, in the Carboniferous Limestone of the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England. The cave is part of the Cheddar Complex SSSI.

It is 253 m in length and reaches a depth of 147 m.[1]

The cave was discovered in 1971 after a successful dig by members of the Wessex Cave Club.[2] Previous digging by the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society had unearthed remains of extinct animals, hence the cave's name.[3]

The cave is locked and access is controlled by the Charterhouse Caving Company.

Further reading

See also

References

  1. "Mendip". UK and Ireland Cave Lengths and Depths. Retrieved 2007-02-18.
  2. Audsley, A., 1971. The history of the present dig at Rhino Rift. WCC Jnl 11 (134) pp236-240.
  3. Donovan,D.T., 1951. Report on Rhino Rift. UBSS Proceedings, 6(2) , pp 213-0
  4. Transactions of the Cave Research Group of Great Britain, vol. 14 (1972), p. 191