Featured in the photo is the Orient Cave: Orient Cave: Discovered in 1904, the Orient Cave was not opened to public inspection until 1917, to allow for the installation of electric lighting and paths. This cave contains some of the grandest formations in the complex and was steam cleaned to preserve them in 1968. Until 1954, this cave, along with the Temple of Baal and Ribbon Caves, were only accessible through the River Cave. That year, the Binoomea Cut was constructed near Caves House to facilitate easier access to these caves.
World Heritage listed, Jenolan Caves features underground rivers and spectacular formations, Jenolan is among the finest and oldest cave systems in the world.
Until 20 years ago most scientists thought the Jenolan Caves were no more than a few thousand years old. In 1999 geologists estimated that the caves might be between 90 and 100 million years old.
Dr Armstrong Osborne, a senior lecturer at the University of Sydney, has long suspected that the caves are older than had been widely recognised, but says he was surprised to find they dated back to the Carboniferous (290 to 354 million years ago).
“We’ve shown that these caves are hundreds of millions of years older than any reported date for an open cave anywhere in the world,” Dr Osborne says.
“Even in geological terms, 340 million years is a very long time. To put it into context, the Blue Mountains began to form 100 million years ago; dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago, and Tasmania was joined to the mainland as recently as 10,000 years ago.
“Most people were convinced that caves were quite young, and those of us who thought they were really old couldn’t find any evidence. But no one imagined that they would be more than 300 million years old. This was totally off the planet.”
Dr Armstrong Osborne, a senior lecturer at the University of Sydney, has long suspected that the caves are older than had been widely recognised, but says he was surprised to find they dated back to the Carboniferous (290 to 354 million years ago).
“We’ve shown that these caves are hundreds of millions of years older than any reported date for an open cave anywhere in the world,” Dr Osborne says.
“Even in geological terms, 340 million years is a very long time. To put it into context, the Blue Mountains began to form 100 million years ago; dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago, and Tasmania was joined to the mainland as recently as 10,000 years ago.
“Most people were convinced that caves were quite young, and those of us who thought they were really old couldn’t find any evidence. But no one imagined that they would be more than 300 million years old. This was totally off the planet.”
No comments:
Post a Comment