Craven Fault System

The broad Aire Gap separates the Yorkshire Dales from the Bowland Fells and the Millstone Grit plateaux of the South Pennines.

The Middle Craven Fault moved mainly during Carboniferous times and marks the southern limit of the Askrigg Block.

However the North and South Craven faults continued to be active into post-Triassic times.

Near Ingleton, North Yorkshire the North Craven Fault has a downthrow of about 200 metres (660 ft), and a few hundred yards away the South Craven Fault has a downthrow of about 1,200 metres (3,900 ft).

[9] Charles Darwin used the Craven Fault to illustrate how nature can so well conceal dramatic events: "The Craven Fault, for instance, extends for upwards of 30 miles, and along this line the vertical displacement of strata has varied from 600 to 3000 feet.

Malham Cove cliff face may have formed as a fault scarp on the Middle Craven Fault but has since retreated ca. 600 m
The Craven Faults define the north edge of the Craven Basin and the Aire Gap
The strata along the River Twiss , Ingleton , below Quaternary terminal moraine at Raven Ray [ 6 ]
A. Upthrown fault block; B. Downthrown fault block; 1. Fault zone; 2. Steep face; 3. Gentle slope; 4. Valley filled with eroded surface runoff; 5. Sedimentary rock layers; 6. Bedrock; 7. Sedimentary rock layers worn away; these matched layers 5.
Here the central hill is of sandstone whereas that on the right is of limestone.