Jenolan Caves
The Jenolan Caves ( "Jenolan Caves") are a cave group in the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains , a mountain range in the Australian state of New South Wales , about 130 km west of the center of Sydney . The word Jenolan means "high mountain" in the language of the Aborigines of the Gundungarra tribe .
With an age of 340 million years, these caves are the oldest discovered open limestone caves in the world.
Emergence
The limestone deposits in which the caves are located resulted from sedimentation and compaction of limestone sludge. It came into contact with lava and was repeatedly tectonically moved. Hardly any fossils can be found in the limestone of the Jenolan Caves. The limestone deposits is by carbonic acid weathering ver karstet , the caves emerged.
particularities
The special features include the “lobster tail ” stalagmites in the Nettle Cave: These are fossilized stromatolites in which cyanobacteria interact with the crystal. They are estimated to be at least 20,000 years old.
According to a 2006 study published in the Australian Journal of Earth Sciences , the Jenolan Caves were formed at least 340 million years ago in the Carboniferous Age . Previously, these limestone caves were considered only a few millennia old for a long time, and it was only in 1999 that their age was estimated at around 100 million years. Dating was made possible by a new method, a variant of the conventional potassium-argon method that is used in the prospecting of petroleum .
Development
The Gundungarra knew the caves as binoomea (dark place) and avoided it for the most part. The Jenolan Caves were first discovered by whites by the rancher James Whalan in 1838; however, his brothers Charles and Alf claim the discovery for themselves. It is even more likely that cattle thief James McKeown took refuge here from pursuers.
The first tourism started in the 1880s. The cave explorers orientated themselves with ropes that they could use to find their way back, as well as conspicuous features that served as landmarks. Candles they carried were used for lighting. For the first time a cave was electrically lit in 1880 and the first electric light was permanently installed in 1887 - several years before Sydney was electrified.
In 1898 the Cave House was built in its current form. Nowadays it contains restaurants, a hotel and a souvenir shop.
Around 20 larger caves are known, 11 of which are open to the public with tours. Individual structures are specially illuminated.
- Imperial Cave : Discovered in 1879. There are many marine fossils and bones from the Tasmanian Devil here .
- Lucas Cave : Discovered in 1860 and the most visited cave. It was named after the local politician John Lucas. The Cathedral , the largest chamber in the Lucas cave system, is also used for cultural events. There is music and light animation on every tour.
- Chifley Cave : Discovered in 1880 and then fitted with electric light almost immediately, making it the world's first electrified cave. Named after Prime Minister Ben Chifley . Two of the chambers are decorated with colored lights.
- Orient Cave : Discovered in 1903 and open to the public since 1917.
- Temple of Baal Cave : Discovered in 1904. The Temple of Baal Cave consists of two chambers, one of which is dominated by the 9 meter high Angel's Wing . There are several Excentrique . There is a light and audio show.
- Nettle Cave : Nettle Cave is naturally lit and is the only one to visit without a guide with an audio tour. It contains the "lobster saddle", stromatolites that were formed by light and wind and are estimated to be at least 20,000 years old.
The Jenolan Caves of Katoomba , the center of the Blue Mountains, can be reached in around 90 minutes by car. The last part of the road is a one-way route around noon and can only be traveled in the direction of the caves. Every year 250,000 tourists visit the Jenolan Caves .
Individual evidence
- ↑ ABC Tests show Jenolan Caves among world's oldest ( Memento of the original from July 8, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed December 29, 2009
Web links
Coordinates: 33 ° 49 ′ 0 ″ S , 150 ° 1 ′ 4 ″ E