The first-ever complete 3D model of one of Britain’s most famous caves – Gaping Gill in the Yorkshire Dales - has been generated in a joint project involving people from three Yorkshire potholing clubs.

Members of York University Cave and Pothole Club, supported by Bradford Pothole Club and Craven Pothole Club, have created the detailed model of the entrance shaft and main chamber at Gaping Gill near Clapham, one of Britain’s longest and complex cave systems.

The 3D model was created to mark the 25th anniversary of York-based laser measurement specialist Measurement Devices Ltd (MDL), Northminster Business Park, a global pioneer of laser scanning technology used globally in the mining and quarrying industries.

As well as being Britain’s biggest known cave chamber, water from Fell Beck which lands on Gaping Gill’s floor, is Britain’s highest unbroken waterfall and is seen by scores of visitors to Bradford Pothole Club’s annual Whitsun Winch meet held for half a century and at Craven Pothole Club’s August bank holiday winch meet.

The new 3D image, carried out using two MDL laser scanners, Quarryman Pro and VoidScanner, which collected more than 12 million points of data, revealed the size of the chamber to be 446 ft long by 151 ft wide and 384ft from the chamber floor to the moorland above.

The chamber’s dimensions compare with York Minster which has a 197ft high tower, 249 ft wide transepts and a length of 518ft and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, which has a 354ft high spire, 246ft wide transepts and a 518 ft length.

The 3D model is to be made available to improve maps of the Gaping Gill and Ingleborough Cave System for potholers. It is also being placed on the web a 3D revolving video for visitors, cavers and students to explore virtually.

“The 3D model shows for the first time the rift development in the roof of the main chamber to the west of the main shaft where water is creating a new waterfall.”

Clapham farmer, Ian Halliday, used his tractor and trailer to take the MDL equipment to Gaping Gill; Bradford Pothole Club allowed use of its winch to access the main chamber and Craven Pothole Club provided access to its gantry and assisted with deploying MDL technology down the entrance shaft.

An earlier survey four years ago was incomplete as it was unable to include the entrance shaft and the main chamber roof rift.

MDL, which also has bases in Aberdeen and Houston, Texas, also creates eye-safe laser measurement technologies for a wide variety of commercial and industrial applications and generates 80 per cent of its sales outside the UK.

04/09/08 03:16pm