On the right of this photo there is a section showing 4m of peat overlying the mineral soil.
The vegetation on top of the peat is bilberry, which likes the drier edges of the blanket peat.
Tussocky acid grassland is growing on the slope facing the peat section, with Juncus rush in the foreground.
Peat began to form c. 8,000 years ago over a layer of mineral soil as shown in the photo below. The photo also shows an example of subsurface piping found in Alport Moor. Water runs along the boundary between the mineral soil and overlying peat layer.
This causes peat to be eroded, creating a natural underground pipe.
