Magnificent Caves of The World One

Armand Cave (France)

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In 1897, when explorer Louis Armand first entered the cave now bearing his name, he gasps in amazement at what he saw.  For at the base of a chimney-like sinkhole some 250 feet (75 meters) underneath the ground, the high vaulted chamber known as the Grande Salle (“Great Hall”) opens out like the interior of a cathedral.  About 325 feet (100 meters) long and 180 feet (55 meters) wide, its sloping ground is covered by an extraordinary forest of stalagmites.  Bristling with projections that resemble the branching of trees, the delicate columns, rank upon rank, rise to heights nearly 100 feet (30 meters).  Tourists nowadays approach the amazing Grande Salle through a man-made tunnel.  From a platform that provides a panoramic view of the cave, where artificial lighting enhances its unearthly beauty.

Fingal’s Cave (United Kingdom – Scotland)

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Fingal’s Cave is a sea cave on the unpopulated island of Staffa, in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.  Yet  in few places on earth are there such spectacular seaswept caves, each with walls made of long, angular, astoundingly symmetrical columns of volcanic rock.  Fingal’s Cave, named for a legendary third century giant who defended the islands against seaborne raiders, is the most celebrated of these marine grottoes.  Its sides, its roof, and its submerged floor are all composed of column after column of gray-black basalt.  Like the other Hebridean islands, Staffa was one of the scenes of intense volcanic activity, which brought large amounts of molten basalt to the surface.  Upon cooling, the basalt contracted and split into the long prism-like form we see today.  

Carlsbad Caverns (United States)

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Cutting deep into the Guadalupe Mountains in southeastern New Mexico, Carlsbad Caverns National Park is made up of more than 100 caves. The largest has a room the size of 14 football fields.  3 miles (4.8 kilometers) of trails will take tourists through a marvelous collection of natural sculptures in this subterranean world.  The Queen’s chamber is decorated with shiny “curtains” made of stalactites that grew together along cracks in the ceiling; draperies in the Papoose Room and teeth in the Whale’s Mouth have a similar origin. The Green Lake Room contains the Veiled Statue and the Frozen Waterfall.  Many other impressive formations, including the Chinese Temple, Rock of Ages, and Totem Pole, are visible along the trail, which ends with an elevator ride back to the surface.

Frasassi Caves (Italy)

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The Frasassi Caves are a karst cave formation in Genga, Italy.  Through the contorted network of passageways and chambers, the interconnected system of caverns is beautifully adorned with stalactites and stalagmites of all conceivable shapes and sizes.  Probably, the most beautiful by far is the Grotta del Vento, the “Great Cave of the Wind.”  Several of its chambers are massive–each one big enough to hold a cathedral.  And many of them have been enhanced by magnificent lighting effects.  Especially notable are the Sala delle Candelline, the “Room of the Candles,” with its alabaster-like stalagmites, and the Sala dell’Infinito, the “Room of the Infinite,” where massive, intricately decorated columns seem to support the ceiling.

Cacahuamilpa Caverns (Mexico)

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Hidden in a valley near Taxco, about 95 miles (150 kilometers) southwest of Mexico City, are the most well-known caves in Mexico: Las Grutas de Cacahuamilpa.  The caves include a remarkable gallery 4,528 feet (1,380 meters) long, as much as 325 feet (100 meters) wide and up to 230 feet (70 meters) high.  The surfaces are lavishly decorated with stone formations deposited layer upon layer by slowly dripping water.  Stalactites hang like icicles from the ceiling and even more striking, stalagmites jut up from the floor.  Given such fanciful names as the Puente de los Cuerubines (“Cherubs Gate”) and Las Fuentas (“The Fountains”), some of these remarkable domelike structures are up to 130 feet (40 meters) high and 65 feet (20 meters) in diameter.

More Nature’s Wonders Series:

• Beautiful Bays
• Breathtaking Canyons
• Fabulous Fjords
• Sublime Glaciers
• Great Mountain Ranges 1
• Great Mountain Ranges 2
• Great Mountain Ranges 3
• Gorgeous Gorges 1
• Gorgeous Gorges 2
• Impressive Natural Rock Formations 1
• Impressive Natural Rock Formations 2
• Famous Rock-Formations
• Lovely Lakes 1
• Lovely Lakes 2
• Lovely Lakes 3
• Magnificent Caves 1
• Magnificent Caves 2
• Majestic Volcanoes 1
• Majestic Volcanoes 2
• Majestic Volcanoes 3
• Wondrous Waterfalls 1
• Wondrous Waterfalls 2 
• Wondrous Waterfalls 3

Parks with Spectacular Rock Formations:

• Legendary Dartmoor
• Mighty Yosemite
• Awesome Zion National Park
• Amazing Arches National Park
• Magnificent Monument Valley
• Spectacular Bryce Canyon
• Ciudad Encantada, Spain’s Enchanted City