Re: MT VOID, 04/04/25 -- Vol. 43, No. 40, Whole Number 2374

On 4/6/2025 10:36 AM, Evelyn C. Leeper wrote:

THE MT VOID
04/04/25 -- Vol. 43, No. 40, Whole Number 2374

THE ENGLISHMAN WHO WENT UP A HILL BUT CAME DOWN A MOUNTAIN (1999):

[...]

Of course, the solution in the movie wouldn't work.  Soil has a
20-degree angle of repose, hence a 20-foot mound would have a
radius of about 55 feet, so a volume of about 63,000 cubic feet.
At 75 pounds per cubic foot (the average for soil), that's 2400
*tons*.  There were not enough people to move that much soil in
the time given.  [-ecl]

It's easy to say that, but I wonder....
 From Wikipedia:
"The film is based on a story heard by Christopher Monger from his grandfather about the real village of Taff's Well, in the old county of Glamorgan, and its neighbouring Garth Hill. Due to 20th century urbanisation of the area, it was filmed in the more rural Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant and Llansilin in Powys."
So, I looked up Garth Hill on Google Earth. Its at
51°32'35.72" N   3°17'39.26" W
Here's the thing. There's a mound on top of the hill, about 120
feet in diameter. Its apparently called 'The Garth'.
The surrounding land on this gentle hill is around 990 feet high.
However, 'the Garth' tops out at 999 feet.
I can't find anything about this mound specifically. Theoretically,
it could be a geologic feature, or built by aspirational peasants
for a map.
Silbury Hill has an angle of about 25 degrees, and has stood for
over 4000 years, but its more engineered than a mere heap of dirt.
Its volume approaches 9 million cubic feet. 'The Garth' would be
a mere 37,000 cf.
However, the Wikipedia article for Garth Hill notes the presence
of a number of Bronze Age round barrows on the top of the hill. It
seems very likely that 'The Garth' is one of these, and the top
being nearly exactly 1000 feet a coincidence that engendered
a nice local legend.
pt