Exposed limestone pavement at sunset in the Yorkshire Dales national Park
vertical photo of exposed limestone pavement a natural geological feature of the Yorkshire Dales National Park with a sunset over Ingleborough hill England Great Britain UK. A limestone pavement is a natural karst landform consisting of a flat, incised surface of exposed limestone that resembles artificial pavement. Conditions for limestone pavements are created when an advancing glacier scrapes away overburden and exposes horizontally-bedded limestone, with subsequent glacial retreat leaving behind a flat, bare surface. Limestone is slightly soluble in water, so corrosive drainage along joints and cracks in the limestone can produce slabs called "clints" isolated by deep fissures called "grikes" or "grykes", terms derived from the North of England dialect. If the grikes are fairly straight and the clints are uniform in size, the resemblance to man-made paving stones is striking, but often they are less regular. Limestone pavements that develop beneath a mantle of topsoil usually exhibit more rounded forms. Limestone pavements can be found in many previously-glaciated limestone environments around the world. Notable examples are found in the Yorkshire Dales in Northern England, such as those above Malham Cove and on the side of Ingleborough, and in The Burren, County Clare, Ireland. Ingleborough is a peak in the Yorkshire Dales. It is one of the so-called Three Peaks, the other two being Whernside and Pen-y-ghent. There are several popular routes to its summit. The most frequently-used starting point is probably the village of Ingleton, which lies about 6 km to the southwest. The hill may also be climbed from Horton in Ribblesdale to the southeast, following a route crossing areas of limestone pavement. There is also a route from Clapham that passes Ingleborough Cave and the pothole of Gaping Gill, and a northern route from the small village of Chapel-le-Dale. Ingleborough is frequently climbed as part of the Three Peaks Challenge, which is a 24 mile (38 km) c
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Photo credit: © Michael Sayles / Alamy / Afripics
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