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Birker Fell


Birker Fell
Photo Information
Copyright: Dean Ln (deanophotos) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 229 W: 17 N: 386] (2554)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-08-10
Categories: Nature
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-08-12 3:12
Viewed: 401
Points: 26
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Birker Fell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Birker Fell is an upland wilderness area in the western portion of the Lake District National Park, in Cumbria, England. Rather than being formed of one single high peak, the fell is a broad, undulating area, approximately 6km square, with numerous crags and prominences scattered across its area. The highest point of the fell is at Green Crag (489m, grid reference SD200983). The fell is bordered by the Duddon Valley to the south-east, Ulpha Fell to the south-west, Harter Fell to the north-east, and Eskdale to the north-west. One small hamlet, Birkerthwaite (grid reference SD179982), lies in a shallow valley near the centre of the fell, but other than this the only human habitations are scattered hill farms.

Landscape

Apart from Green Crag, other notable high points on the fell include: Cook Crag (469m, grid reference SD200987); White How (444m, SD204974); Great Worm Crag (427m, SD194969); Kepple Crag (328m,SD198999); Great Crag (323m, SD187978); Rough Crag (319m, SD162977); Water Crag (305m, SD154975); and Brantrake Crags (259m, SD148982). Between these points are a plethora of smaller crags and knolls, separated by shallow valleys and bogs, giving the high fell an uneven and chaotic appearance.

Water plays an important role in defining the character of Birker Fell. Between the crags flow many small streams, known as becks or gills in the local terminology. Many of the becks rise in one of the numerous bogs which occur in the area, the largest of which are White Moss, Sike Moss, Tewitt Moss and Foxbield Moss. At the western edge of the fell lies Devoke Water, which claims the title of largest tarn in the Lake District. It lies at an altitude of 235m (770ft) and is approximately 1km long (east-west) and 0.4km wide. The southern border between Birker Fell and Ulpha Fell traces a line between Devoke Water and the valley of Crosby Gill, a large stream that drops down the southern flanks of the fell to the village of Ulpha in the Duddon Valley. The northern edge of the fell is marked by a steep range of crags which drop sharply to the floor of Eskdale. These crags are cut by the cascades of Stanley Force and Birker Force, two of the most spectacular waterfalls in the Lake District.


Geology


Geologically, Birker Fell is of importance as the type locality of the Birker Fell Formation (BFF) of the Borrowdale Volcanic Group (BVG). The BFF forms the lowest, and hence oldest, portion of this famous sequence of andesite and dacite volcanic rocks. The Birker Fell Andesite occurs throughout much of the western Lake District. The BVG are thought to have formed in the early Ordovician by island arc volcanic activity, due to subduction during the closing of the Iapetus Ocean.

The central and northern areas of Birker Fell are dominated by composite andesite lava flows. Within the andesitic lava flows, the Great Whinscale Dacite lava flow and the associated, underlying Little Stand Tuff form a marker band that runs northeast-southwest across the fell, but are best seen at Silver How (grid reference SD195983) and Great Whinscale (SD197989). A small area of basaltic material occurs approximately 1km north of Birkerthwaite, composed of plagioclase- and pyroxene-phyric andesite-basalt lavas (the Birkby Fell Member), and tuff and lapilli-tuffs (the Devoke Water Member). The main outcrop of the Devoke Water Member occurs to the south-west of Devoke Water itself, on Ulpha Fell. The south and south-eastern portion of the fell is composed of a sequence of tuff beds with highly variable composition: from rhyolitic through to basaltic. These overlie the BFF and form the next section of the BVG sequence.

In the north-western corner of Birker Fell, extensive faulting has juxtaposed the BVG rocks against granites of the late Ordovician Eskdale Intrusion.


INFO courtesy of Wikipedia.


PP resized, saturation, resharpened and border/title added.


Thanks for looking.
macromania, Valerka, ScottHale, shifty9, shelbeesmom, Dpbours, Roky2005, SunToucher has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

The landscape master returns with another beautiful vista. Superb Dean.

Regards Mark :)

Hi Dean,

That is an amazing landscape. Lovely colors and POV. TFS.

Kiran.

I think the frame is a bit much to be honest, but I know we have different views on that, so won't dwell on it :-)

This photo reminds me so much of the landscape around my home in Scotland...Edinburgh and the Borders region...this could easily be the Pentlands or the countryside around Peebles. You've caught the very essence of the area very well, the atmosphere is superb. The wispy, wind-blown grass and the weatherbeaten rocks...countryside I miss very much - super shot, well done again!

Hi, Dean,
Wonderful landscape! One can feel the wind.
Oddly enough, this is more or less what I've always imagined reading " The Wuthering Heights" by E.Bronte.
Your framing is matching it well in a contrasing way.
TFS
Nice Sunday
Valerka:)

Dean,
Wow, this could be in National Geographic!
Damn near perfect composition, awesome colors and I love that sky, it looks like it's alive.
Very well presented with complete notes...
Simply a work of art.
Scott

  • Great 
  • juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2518 W: 0 N: 994] (13816)
  • [2007-08-12 8:14]

Hola amigo,
sensacional trabajo, bello pov y dof...
agradable encuadre,
magnífica vista,
saludos

Hi Dean,
I really like this image for the way the angle flattens the clouds to the ground. THere are great details and you've composed this quite well. Awesome job all around!

-JD

Truly one of your best Dean! The colors, the clarity of the rocks and grasses is so nice! Wonderful place, nice framing! The approaching storm is an added dramatic effect! B-)
Thanks for your comments on the Alleyway!
B-)
Linda

Hi Dean,

Yes, very nice again. Maybe still an very little bit on the soft side on the stones. But that's all...

Greetings! Dennis

as ScottHale said, as if it came out from a national geographic magazine, it is soo perfect. although, i prefer a black background as it adds more depth to the picture.

good job,
Reham

Hi Dean, superb, colours, pov, details. Very well done! Yan :)

  • Great 
  • pozaru Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3300 W: 678 N: 2088] (16695)
  • [2007-08-16 1:44]

Another superb landscape of yours.


v

Hi Dean,
Trying to catch up on some of your stunning photos. I've been ill last week and I am still not completely recovered.
I like the muted mood in this photo a lot. Its a great proof that bad weather is also weather. The type of weather I prefer above the plain blue sky. The depth in this photo is marvelous. The rocks in the FG do a lot for this photo.
TFS,
Niek

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