Mam Tor Landslip, Castleton, Derbyshire, UK - Places of Geologic Significance on Waymarking.com

Mam Tor is a 517 m (1,696 ft) hill near Castleton in the High Peak of Derbyshire, England.

Its name literally translates as 'Mother Mountain' is also known as the Shivering Mountain on account of the instability of its lower shale layers. In 1979 the continual battle to maintain the A625 road
(Sheffield to Chapel en le Frith) on the crumbling southern side of the hill was lost when the road was finally closed as a through-route.

One of the distinguishing features of Mam Tor Peak is the active debris flow resulting from a rotational landslide that occurred roughly 4,000 years ago. The initial failure exposed bedrock displaying a sequence of shales and sandstones near to the summit. Evidence for the continued movement of the slide mass is demonstrated graphically by the complete destruction of a road that once crossed the width of the failure.

The Sheffield Turnpike Company first constructed the A625 Manchester to Sheffield road in 1819 using spoil from the nearby Odin mine. The road crosses the main body of the landslide twice as it winds its way up the slope. The following 160 years saw constant repairs and reconstruction. In 1977, the landslide moved again and the road was restricted to single-lane traffic. In 1979, the road was permanently closed to traffic and what remains today is an interesting example of landslide movement and repeated road reconstruction and repair. Layers of tarmac and gravel are up to 2 metres thick in places, demonstrating the numerous efforts to keep the road open.

Current mean annual movement according to a study made in 2000 is up to 0.25 m (9 inches); this increases greatly when winter rainfalls exceed thresholds of both 210 mm/month and 750 mm in the preceding six months

The debris flow poses no threat to any inhabited buildings near the peak; however, small farm buildings lying in the flow's path may become inundated over the next century assuming a flow rate similar to that of the present. The 2000 study suggests that deep drainage may be the most effective means of stabilising the flow, though this may not completely stop movement.

Waymark is confirmed to be publicly accessible: yes Parking Coordinates: N 53° 20.769 W 001° 48.295 Access fee (In local currency): .00 Requires a high clearance vehicle to visit.: no Requires 4x4 vehicle to visit.: no Website reference: [Web Link] Public Transport available: Not Listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   02/02/2013 SMacB visited it 05/06/2011 Cassandy visited it 08/14/2010 Berticusdan visited it 03/20/2010 westyrf visited it 10/07/2009 Poole/Freeman visited it 08/16/2009 pete37038 visited it

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