White Peak

[5] The geology of the White Peak has its origins in the Carboniferous Period, when the area was under a shallow sea that was fringed by reefs, leading to thick deposits of shelly calcareous material.

Further uplifting and folding raised the area into an anticline (the Derbyshire Dome), then subsequent erosion removed the younger deposits to expose the limestone.

The generally good quality loess soil means much of the area is agriculturally productive pasture, though hay meadows - containing species such as Rhinanthus minor (yellow rattle) and Galium verum (lady’s bedstraw)- occur in places.

On steep slopes and higher points where soils are shallower and pasture improvement difficult, species-rich calcareous grassland can be found, containing species such as Orchis mascula (early purple orchid), Primula veris (cowslip) and Thymus serpyllum (wild thyme).

On high ground leaching has resulted in acidic grassland - where Viola lutea (mountain pansy) and Vaccinium myrtillus (bilberry) occur - and, in a few places, remnants of limestone heath.