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\section{Geological setting of the Variscan faults and vein fill}  The geographic location and regional geology of the Peak District area of the southern Pennines is shown in Figure 1. During the mid-Devonian to the end of the lower Carboniferous Britain was subject to a general north-south back arc stretching as a result of subduction of the Rheic ocean to the south. Extension was largely accommodated by the development of a series of graben and half graben deep water basins bounded by normal growth faults and with foot wall topographic highs. In the Peak District the main basins are the Edale Gulf, Goyt Trough and Widmerpool Gulf. Dinantian Visean  shallow water platform and ramp carbonates accumulated on the topographic highs of the Derbyshire platform whilst deep water facies limestones and shales of the Bowland-Hodder group  were deposited in the basins, Figure 1. Both extension and carbonate sedimentation ended at the end of the Dinantian Visean  with the onset of thermal subsidence. Subsequent sedimentation included a thin blanket of Namurian shales and later a range of Westphalian river and deltaic sandstone facies. The total thickness of post Dinantian Visean  sediment accumulation on the platform limestones ranged from 1 to 2km, with correspondingly thicker sequences of 3-4km accumulating in the basins.With the onset of the Variscan orogeny towards the end of the Carboniferous the basins were inverted and reactivation of extensional faults with both significant strike slip and reverse components of movement occurred.  With the onset of the Variscan orogeny towards the end of the Carboniferous the basins were inverted and reactivation of extensional faults with both significant strike slip and reverse components of movement occurred.  There is evidence for high pore fluid pressures during the period of faulting with the development of mode I fractures and in places a pervasive mesoscale fracture network. Fracture dimensions range from sub-mm to fault widths of several metres. Fracture and fault vein fill at all the locations is dominated by white, sparry calcite often showing a syntaxial growth pattern with varying degrees of complexity as a result of repeated episodes of movement, brecciation and renewed hydrothermal mineral growth. Dirtlow Rake (GR) is a major WSW-ENE trending strike slip fault lying just to the south of Castleton. The width of the exposed fault is greater than 10m and it has been extensively worked over a greater than 10km length for Pb (galena) and Zn (sphalerite). Hydrothermal calcite occurs as large syntaxial and elongate, sparry crystals. The growth form often exhibits dog-tooth terminations indicative of growth into a void.