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Starling Cave (SE entrance)
East Priest Craig, Findochty, Moray (Banffshire).
| NGR: | NJ 47273 68268 |
| WGS84: | 57.70112, -2.88632 |
| Length: | 114 m |
| Vert. Range: | 15 m |
| Altitude: | 8 m |
| Geology: | Cullen Quartzite Formation - quartzite, psammite & semipelite |
| Tags: | Other |
| Registry: | main |
An upper intertidal seacave system with 5 tunnels and 5 entrances. Two are parallel facing NNE and the third joins them inside with a SE entrance and runs ENE/WSW to a SW entrance. There is a squeeze at about 11.5 m in from the SW entrance. The tunnel from the NW entrance continues SSW beyond the line of the ENE/WSW tunnel. There is a short supratidal tunnel from an inclined slot entrance NW2 just W of the larger NW entrance. Just inside the SE entrance a tunnel goes SSW. The axis plan may be helpful. There is a fairly large cavern centred on the crossing point of the tunnel from this NW entrance and that between the SE and SW entrance.
This entrance is some way inwards (west) from the apparent beach level entrance because it is open at the top. Width is 3.0 m and floor to ceiling is 7.2 m.
The tunnel beyond the central cavern has a lot of black staining and even an active black speleothem - see photo 8. The black deposit is manganese dioxide with a small amount of iron.
Alternative Names: None recorded.
Notes: Access: from beach to the west of the cave at low tide. This can be from the Sandy Creek beach on the E side of Findochty.
Lengths measured on 30 May 24 by N Feilden. A positive check was made across the squeeze on 12 June 24 using a lightweight tent pole - inserted on the SW side and viewed poking through on the SE side - which confirms that the squeeze is short. VR is for the whole cave an is an estimate. Alt is ACD for this entrance and is estimated.
Links and Resources:
- 1st Ed OS 25 in shows the tunnels from the NE and NW entrances meeting the tunnel from the SE entrance. But it does not show rest of the cave ie more than half of it.
- OS Namebook for Banffshire, Rathven has: Starling Cave - "A large natural cavern in the cliff on the coast near the "East Priest's Craig" It has three entrances or mouths; one on the east, and two on the north side."
- Aerial of Starling cave with the tunnel axes indicated.
- Photo 1 this entrance is the one to the right of centre. The one on the left is a separate cave. The rock over the NE entrance can be made out on the far right. The camera position is some way to the north of the line of the tunnel between this and the SW entrance.
- Photo 2 on the right is where the SE to SW tunnel narrows down. On the left is the SW running tunnel shown on the plan. The tunnel from the NE entrance is just round the corner on the right.
- Photo 3 inside the SW running tunnel mentioned under photo 2. On 30 May 24 , it was dripping wet, and some drips were nearly continuous.
- Photo 4 looking WSW along the east section of the tunnel between the SE and SW entrances, going to the central cavern. The tree stump mentioned below is the root end covered in green algae.
- Photo 5 looking ENE along the tunnel to the SE entrance. The object lying some way along it is a tree stump with some of its roots. It probably came from the river Spey. The join with the tunnel from the NE entrance is a bit beyond that, on the left.
- Photo 6 looking WSW to the entrance to the extension of the tunnel from the SE entrance on its way to the SW entrance.
- Photo 7 looking west to the squeeze which is 267 mm wide. Sea sounds could be heard from the SW entrance on 30 May 24 - NW wind. On 12 June the connection was proved by pushing a lightweight tent pole through from the SW entrance and observing the end of it poking through the squeeze.
- Photo 8 taken on 12 June 24. The water appeared to be coming from a hole near top middle. There were small curtains some of which came to small stalactite points. These then drip onto the rounded deposit below which has solid ripples like those of some calcite deposits. See for instance Ophelia's Bathplug cave. A sample was taken from the drier, greyer deposit on the right. A subsample dissolved in dilute hydrochloric acid with the evolution of chlorine gas. This is a signature reaction of manganese dioxide. Using a photometer, the ratio of manganese to iron was found to be about 97:3 by weight. The oxidation from the aqueous solution is very probably mediated by microbes, but this has not been confirmed.
- Photo 9 looking at the N wall in this section to the west of the central cavern. There was a cave spider (meta menardi) in her web, but the image has not captured it, or the orb web. The bright white silver sparkles are thought to be an actinomycete crust which is hydrophobic so that water droplets do not spread out on it. The rock is well worn by wave plus pebble action, up to the ceiling in places. Quite unlike the S extension of the NW entrance tunnel.
- Photo 10 looking ENE along the tunnel towards the central cavern. The light is from the top of the SE entrance - which shows how straight this tunnel is.
- Photo 11 as photo 10, but from the top of the pebble ridge visible in it. You can see the tree stump of photos 4 & 5 in the tunnel on the far side of the cavern.
This entry was last updated: 2024-06-19 12:03:51
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