Tag: caves

Lake Superior’s Elusive Ice Caves Accessible for First Time in 5 Years

 

For the first time in five years, the ice caves on Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands are accessible, as the temperatures have dropped enough to freeze the surface and allow visitors to hike across the frozen water to the elusive caves.

Prior to the big freeze, waves splashed across the cliffs of the islands leaving ice sheets along their faces. Inside, waterfalls have frozen in place, breaking and crumbling in various places.

The caves, which have not been accessible since 2009, were announced open to the public on January 15th. The National Park Service hopes the caves will be accessible for about six weeks but is entirely weather-dependent. The caves are a huge attraction and in the first 10 days an estimated 10,000 people flocked to Meyers Beach (from where the caves are accessible after a 1 mile hike) to observe the unique formation.

Before heading to the caves, please call the Ice Line at (715) 779-3397 – extension 3, for the most current ice condition information. Visit the National Park Service for visitor information to the Ice Caves

[Sources: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, National Park Service, The Reporter]

 

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Picture of the Day: Let There Be Light

 

LET THERE BE LIGHT

 

Buddha Temple Datdawtaung Cave kyaukse mandalay myanmar lin tun

Photograph by LIN TUN/Leopard Photography
Website | deviantART | Facebook

 

In this gorgeous capture by Lin Tun, we see a lone monk basking in the sunlight at a Buddhist cave temple in Myanmar. According to PhotoBotos.com, this is Datdawtaung Cave near the town to Kyaukse which is in the Mandalay region of Myanmar.

To see more from Lin, check out his portfolio on 500px, deviantART and Facebook.

 

 

 

Picture of the Day: Snail with Semi-Transparent Shell Discovered

 

SNAIL WITH SEMI-TRANSPARENT SHELL DISCOVERED

 

snail-with-semi-transparent-shell

Photograph by Jana Bedek

 

In a paper published on 30 August 2013 by the International Society for Subterranean Biology, Dr Alexander Weigand of Goethe-University Frankfurt, Germany, has described a new species of cave-dwelling snail from the Lukina Jama–Trojama cave system.

The new species, Zospeum tholussum, is a tiny and fragile snail with a dome-like, semi-transparent shell. It was found in an unnamed large chamber of the cave at a depth of 980 meters (3,215 ft).

The Lukina jama cave is 1,421 meters (4,662 ft) deep, making it the deepest cave in Croatia and the deepest in all of southeast Europe. You can read the official paper and learn more about the discovery at Pensoft.net.

 

 

 

Picture of the Day: Mexico’s Giant Crystal Cave

 

MEXICO’S GIANT CRYSTAL CAVE

 

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Cave of the Crystals or Giant Crystal Cave (Spanish: Cueva de los Cristales) is a cave connected to the Naica Mine 300 meters (980 ft) below the surface in Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. The main chamber contains giant selenite crystals, and are some of the largest natural crystals ever found. The cave’s largest crystal found to date is 12 m (39 ft) in length, 4 m (13 ft) in diameter and 55 tons in weight. [Source]

The cave is extremely hot with air temperatures reaching up to 58 °C (136 °F) with 90 to 99 percent humidity. The cave is relatively unexplored due to these factors. Without proper protection people can only endure approximately ten minutes of exposure at a time. A group of scientists known as the Naica Project have been heavily involved in researching these caverns. [Source]

The Giant Crystal cave was discovered in 2000 by miners excavating a new tunnel for the Industrias Peñoles mining company located in Naica, Mexico. The Cave of Crystals is a horseshoe-shaped cavity in limestone. Its floor is covered with perfectly-faceted crystalline blocks. Huge crystal beams jut out from both the blocks and the floor. The caves are accessible today because the mining company’s pumping operations keep them clear of water. If the pumping were stopped, the caves would again be submerged. The crystals deteriorate in air, so the Naica Project is attempting to visually document the crystals before they deteriorate further. [Source]

 

 

 

 

Picture of the Day: The Waitomo Glowworm Caves

 

THE WAITOMO GLOWWORM CAVES

 

Waitomo Glowworm Caves north island new zealand

Photograph via waitomo.com

 

The Waitomo Glowworm Caves attraction is a cave at Waitomo on the North Island of New Zealand, known for its population of glowworms, Arachnocampa luminosa. This species is found exclusively in New Zealand. They are around the size of an average mosquito. This cave is part of the Waitomo Caves system that includes the Ruakuri Cave and the Aranui Cave. [Source]

Geological and volcanic activity has created around 300 known limestone caves in the Waitomo region over the last 30 million years. The Waitomo Glowworm Caves were first explored in 1887 by local Maori Chief Tane Tinorau accompanied by an English surveyor Fred Mace.

Tours depart every half hour daily from 9am-5pm. Costs for children are $21 while adults are $48. Families (2 adult/2 children) are $104. The cave is about 2 hours south of Auckland, 1 hour south of Hamilton, and 2 hours west of Rotorua by car. The directions to the Caves are to exit State Highway 3 onto Waitomo Caves Road and to continue on the road for about 8 km.

 

 

 

 

Picture of the Day: The Temple Cave of Batu

 

THE TEMPLE CAVE OF BATU

 

cathedral-temple-cave-batu-caves-malaysia-borneo

 

Batu Caves is a limestone hill which has a series of caves and cave temples in the Gombak district, 13 kilometers (8 mi) north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It takes its name from the Sungai Batu or Batu River, which flows past the hill.

The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India and is the focal point of the Hindu festival of Thaipusam. Since 1892, the Thaipusam festival in the Tamil month of Thai (which falls in late January/early February) has been celebrated there.

Rising almost 100 meters above the ground, the Batu Caves temple complex consists of three main caves and a few smaller ones. The biggest (shown above) is referred to as Cathedral Cave or Temple Cave, and has a very high ceiling featuring ornate Hindu shrines. To reach it, visitors must climb a steep flight of 272 steps. At the base of the hill are two more cave temples, Art Gallery Cave and Museum Cave, both of which are full of Hindu statues and paintings. [Source]

The photo is from Trey Ratcliff’s trip to Kuala Lumpur/Malaysia. You can find the entire album on Flickr. Trey runs the super popular Stuck in Customs website and is one of the most famous travel bloggers in the world.

 

 

 

 

Poland’s Underground Salt Cathedral

 

Located 135 meters (443 ft) underground is the famous Wieliczka Salt Mine in southern Poland. Entered into the UNESCO First World Heritage List in 1978, it was also proclaimed a Historical Monument by the President of the Republic of Poland in 1994. The mine is located in the town of Wieliczka and is within the Kraków metropolitan area.

The mine, built in the 13th century, produced table salt continuously until 2007, as one of the world’s oldest salt mines still in operation. Commercial mining was discontinued in 1996 due to low salt prices and mine flooding. Now a museum, the mine’s attractions include dozens of statues, three chapels and an entire cathedral that has been carved out of the rock salt by the miners. The oldest sculptures are augmented by the new carvings by contemporary artists. About 1.2 million people visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine annually.

The mine is a product of work of tens of generations of miners, a monument to the history of Poland and to the Polish nation. Below you will find a gallery of the mine along with additional information about its history.

[Sources: wieliczka-saltmine.com, muzeum.wieliczka.pl, Wikipedia]

 

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Photograph by Michal Osmenda

 

 

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Photograph by ~dgies on Flickr

 

 

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The Wieliczka salt mine reaches a depth of 327 metres (1,073 ft) and is over 287 kilometres (178 mi) long. The rock salt is naturally gray in various shades, resembling unpolished granite rather than the white or crystalline look that many visitors may expect. During World War II, the shafts were used by the occupying Germans as an ad-hoc facility for various war-related industries. The mine features an underground lake; and the new exhibits on the history of salt mining, as well as a 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) touring route (less than 2% of the length of the mine’s passages) that includes historic statues and mythical figures carved out of rock salt in distant past. [Source]

 

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Photograph by Andrzej G | Fotopolska.eu

 

 

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A wooden staircase with 378 steps provides access to the 64 metres (210 ft) level of the mine. There is a 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) tour of the mine’s corridors, chapels, statues and lake, 135 metres (443 ft) underground. An elevator provides access to the surface. The elevator holds 36 people (nine per car) and takes some 30 seconds to reach the surface. [Source]

 

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The salt deposit in Wieliczka formed in the Miocene Epoch, 13.6 million years ago. In the rift located in their foreground, known as the pre-Carpathian basin, a huge sea was formed. Various types of rock sedimented in the reservoir, rock salt layers formed as well. Salt deposits formed in many parts of this huge reservoir. The Wieliczka deposit formed over the period of approximately twenty thousand years. It owes its final shape to the orogeny which resulted in accumulation of salt deposits causing a several-fold increase in their original thickness. [Source]

 

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Photograph by steve_w on Flickr

 

 

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Mexico’s Hidden Beach at Marieta Islands

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Photograph by Modagaja on Panoramio

 

Located in the mouth of Banderas Bay are the beautiful Las Marietas Islands, about 22 nautical miles west of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Formed by volcanic activity over thousands of years, the islands are a nationally protected bird sanctuary, also providing shelter for countless marine species.

After years of scientific research and an intensive effort to legally protect this archipelago, first championed by Jacques Cousteau, it was finally pronounced a national park, Parque Nacional Islas Marietas, in 2005. The park spans almost 1,400 hectares.

On one of the islands is Playa de Amor, more commonly known as Hidden Beach. To reach this secluded paradise, visitors need to swim through a short tunnel, opening up into the stunning beach seen here. There are a number of tour operators providing day trips to this ecological marvel.

Below you will find images of Hidden Beach along with a video tour and additional information on Las Marietas Islands.

You can find Playa de Amor aka Hidden Beach on Bing Maps (which on this occasion, strangely offers a better view than Google Maps)

 

[Sources: Vallarta Online, Puerto Vallarta Day Tours, Vallarta Adventures]

 

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The Ecological Diversity of the Marieta Islands

Las Marietas are an important area for nesting, refuge, reproduction and migration of at least 92 species of aquatic and sub-aquatic birds, native and migratory. The islands shelter the biggest colony and breeding ground in Mexico for the white-capped marine swallow (Anöus stolidus) and the band-tailed swallow (Sterna anaethetus), as well as the largest population in the Pacific Ocean of the curious laughing sea gull (Larus atricilla).

It is thought that these islands are home to the largest population in the world of the pájaro bobo café, a penguin species, sula Leucogaster, the latest census estimating them at more than 35,000 individuals. Along with those, you may also enjoy the beautiful blue-footed booby, who also nest in the Galapagos Islands.

According to the last scientific study of the Las Marietas, it was determined that the islands possess the greatest abundance of reef fish, home to 103 of the 159 registered species in Banderas Bay, as well as diverse species of coral. During the winter whales use the islands as a natural refuge from predators and ocean currents.

[Source: Oscar Saul Aranda Mena @ VallartaOnline.com]

 

 

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Video Tour of the Marieta Islands

 

 

 

 

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Picture of the Day: Kamchatka Ice Cave, Russia

 

KAMCHATKA ICE CAVE, RUSSIA

 

Kamchatka-Ice-Cave-Russia

 

In the incredible photo by Marc Szeglat (taken Sept. 12, 2012), we see a surreal-looking ice cave on the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia. It was formed by a stream flowing from the hot springs associated with the Mutnovsky Volcano. This stream flows beneath glacial ice on the flanks of Mutnovsky. Because glaciers on Kamchatka volcanoes have been melting in recent years, the roof of this cave is now so thin that sunlight penetrates through it, eerily illuminating the icy structures within.

The Kamchatka Peninsula is a 1,250-kilometre (780 mi) peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about 270,000 km2 (100,000 sq mi). It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west. The Kamchatka peninsula contains the volcanoes of Kamchatka, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. [Source]

This photo was also recently recognized as one of the Earth Science Picture of the Day’s “Best of 2012, Viewer’s Choice”

 

 

 

 

Picture of the Day: Ash Cave at Hocking Hills

 

ASH CAVE AT HOCKING HILLS

 

Ash Cave, Hocking Hills, Ohio

 

In this beautiful photo by Bryan Olesen, we see the popular Ash Cave in Hocking Hills, Ohio. Located in the southernmost reaches of Hocking Hills, Ash Cave is the largest recess cave in the state of Ohio. The horseshoe-shaped cave measures 700 feet from end to end, and is 100 feet deep from the rear cave wall to its front edge, with the rim rising 90 feet high. A small tributary of the East Fork of Queer Creek (seen on the left) cascades over the rim into a small plunge pool below [Source]. For more information on the history of Ash Cave, head to hockinghills.com for a detailed summary.

Hocking Hills State Park is a non-contiguous state park. Within the park are several spectacular features based around rock formations, including Old Man’s Cave, a narrow, deep gorge featuring waterfalls; Rock House, a cliffed area with a rock shelter; Cantwell Cliffs, a broad gorge at the head of a hollow with a unique stone stairway; Cedar Falls, a larger waterfall south of Old Man’s Cave; and the aforementioned Ash Cave [Source].