tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post8731156424602015106..comments2023-11-29T07:39:34.401+00:00Comments on Carla Nayland Historical Fiction: Locations: Mam Tor or Shivering Mountain, DerbyshireCarlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-82240926834618990662011-12-29T13:50:49.657+00:002011-12-29T13:50:49.657+00:00From an unsafe distance the observer may not have ...From an unsafe distance the observer may not have seen the full event. Is something still spectacular if there is no spectator to witness it? Discuss...<br /><br />If I find out the origin of 'Back' in the Back Tor names, I'll let you know :-)Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-46146460274208015712011-12-29T04:22:55.024+00:002011-12-29T04:22:55.024+00:00Whatever the cause, the collapse must have been ve...Whatever the cause, the collapse must have been very spectacular - from a safe distance! (Even more spectacular from an unsafe distance, to be sure.)<br /><br />Wondering whether 'back' had some unrelated meaning was part of what prompted me to ask!Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16932015378213238346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-20557270970137959842011-12-28T16:05:55.032+00:002011-12-28T16:05:55.032+00:00I hope everyone had a good Christmas, and wish you...I hope everyone had a good Christmas, and wish you all the best for the New Year.<br /><br />Nicola - thanks, glad you found it useful. The BGS site can be very interesting.<br /><br />Constance - not on the scale of Wyoming! Yes, the hill definitely gets its way.<br /><br />Rick - Good questions. I did find a technical paper online about the landslide a while ago, but I've lost the link and now I can't remember in any detail. I would guess a weak layer of rock giving way, a bit like a weak layer of snow that gives way and triggers an avalanche, only in rock. On the Trotternish peninsula in Skye there are some spectacular landslide formations, and those were caused by weak sedimentary rocks collapsing under the weight of a thick heavy basalt lava flow. Part of Mam Tor is shale, which is often quite a weak rock (it gets waterlogged; also, it is formed from mud and has a habit of trying to revert), and maybe the shale collapsed under the weight of heavier gritstone on top. But don't quote me on that.<br /><br />You may well be right about 'tyrant' - I hadn't made that connection.<br /><br />Not sure about the origin of 'Back Tor'. It could mean 'back' as in the furthest outcrop along the ridge as seen from wherever the name was coined; however, sometimes place names look like a modern English word but turn out to have quite a different origin when followed back to the earliest records. E.g. nearby Lose Hill is nothing to do with 'losing' (despite a romantic legend associated with the name) but turns out to be derived from the much more prosaic 'hlose' meaning 'pigsty' or something similar, so presumably a hill associated with a pig farm. If I get a chance, I will see if I can look up Back Tor in the English Place Name Society's reference books for you.<br /><br />Gabriele - that's as good an explanation as any :-)Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-53291259986723001452011-12-27T16:18:39.487+00:002011-12-27T16:18:39.487+00:00In Iceland they would blame the fairies who don...In Iceland they would blame the fairies who don't want a road at their backdoor. ;)Gabriele Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205770868139083575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-11802577957203869442011-12-25T19:09:04.569+00:002011-12-25T19:09:04.569+00:00I wonder what circumstances caused that whole side...I wonder what circumstances caused that whole side of the mountain to go down?<br /><br />The Greek word 'tyrant' may also have a cognate origin to 'tor' (originally, ISTR, a guy who ruled from a stronghold tower).<br /><br />In the two places called Back Tor, does 'back' simply mean they're behind something else as usually seen?Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16932015378213238346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-86685644122384139922011-12-24T23:14:06.436+00:002011-12-24T23:14:06.436+00:00Looks like Wyoming in places. The British Geologic...Looks like Wyoming in places. The British Geological Survey pics were impressive. Thanks for linking. I guess when it doesn't want a road, the hill gets its way.<br /><br />Merry Christmas!Constance Brewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17964121072645959593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-64081694428670025642011-12-24T18:54:19.682+00:002011-12-24T18:54:19.682+00:00Great post. Many thanks for the link to BGS (a res...Great post. Many thanks for the link to BGS (a resource I consistently forget).<br /><br />Have a great Yule :)Nicola Griffithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00401940329164370169noreply@blogger.com