Rhino Rift Explained

Rhino Rift
Location:	Charterhouse, Somerset, UK
Discovery:	1971
Geology:	Limestone
Entrance Count:	1
Hazards:	Loose boulders
Access:	Restricted
Grid Ref Uk:	ST48475557
Map:	Somerset
Coordinates:	51.297°N -2.7404°W
Registry:	Mendip Cave Registry^[1]

Rhino Rift is a cave near Charterhouse, in the Carboniferous Limestone of the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England. The cave is part of the Cheddar Complex SSSI.

It is 253 m in length and reaches a depth of 147 m.^[2]

The cave was discovered in 1971 after a successful dig by members of the Wessex Cave Club.^[3] Previous digging by the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society had unearthed remains of extinct animals, hence the cave's name.^[4]

The cave is locked and access is controlled by the Charterhouse Caving Company.

Further reading

• D. T. Donovan, R. D. Stride & A. M. Ap Simon, Rhino Rift Log: A record of the excavations from 9 Nov 1947 to 13 June 1948 (Excavation log including plans & sections, MS in 19 cm 8vo notebook), library of the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society^[5]

See also

• Caves of the Mendip Hills

Notes and References

1. 218 . Rhino Rift . 2012-03-30.
2. Web site: Mendip . UK and Ireland Cave Lengths and Depths . 2007-02-18.
3. Audsley, A., 1971. The history of the present dig at Rhino Rift. WCC Jnl 11 (134) pp236-240.
4. Donovan,D.T., 1951. Report on Rhino Rift. UBSS Proceedings, 6(2), pp 213-0
5. Transactions of the Cave Research Group of Great Britain, vol. 14 (1972), p. 191