Cave collapse on Malta

In 2015 I blogged about the limestone and caves on Malta. I had visited the south coast, and seen the Blue Grotto at Wied Iz Zurrieq

On Easter Saturday 20 April 2019, the Times of Malta reported "Cave collapses on Qrendi coastline, forming short-lived natural arch. Għar Ħanex vanishes over two distinct phases"

A cave along Malta’s southern coast collapsed over Friday and Saturday, creating a short-lived limestone arch which only held up for hours before also giving way.

Għar Ħanex, which lay on a stretch of coastline on the outskirts of Qrendi between Għar Lapsi and Wied iż-Żurrieq, is believed to have initially collapsed on Good Friday.

That first collapse turned what used to be a cave into a new arch, prompting tentative comparisons with the now-defunct Azure Window, which caved in just over two years ago.

Within hours, the newly-formed arch also caved in, leaving a gaping hole where Għar Ħanex used to be.

The cave had already weathered some damage during last February's vicious storm. Fierce gales took their toll. 

The site is designated as a Special Area of Conservation, benefits from Natura 2000 protection. 

Natura 2000 is an EU-wide network of nature conservation areas which enjoy specific protection under the EU's Birds and Habitat Directives.

The onetime cave formed part of a series of coastal formations in the area which are known as Nuffied. These include a small cove known as il-Maqluba tal-baħar, the Ras il-Miġnuna natural arch, Ħalq it-Tafal and in-Nuffied iż-Żgħir.

See the Times of Malta for photos.

Harrison's Cave on stamps

Having just visited Harrison's Cave in Barbados, in the Caribbean, I found there are a few stamps depicting the cave.

The first was issued in 1977 ,  Natural Beauty of Barbados series, $1

Next was a series just on Harrison's Cave, 1981 , a set of 4, SG 689-692 -

Then a 90 c in the 2000 series  "Pride of Barbados" , SG 1159 :

And in 2014,  a 65 c Harrison's Cave,  in the series  The Seven Wonders of Barbados, SG 1404/10

Harrison's Cave, Barbados

Barbados in the Caribbean is one of the Windward Islands. Unlike other Windward islands, only Barbados and Martinique have caves.

Barbados is not volcanic, it is composed of coral limestone, which is relatively young.

Harrison's Cave is a show cave. I have known about this cave for many years,since I started collecting cave stamps.

Harrison's Cave is formed from a type of crystallized limestone, and is undoubtedly one of the most
spectacular natural attractions in the entire Caribbean. Harrison's Cave has only been accessible to the general public in recent years and has had extensive refurbishment and renovations. It is located in the central uplands.

Firstly you enter the Visitors Centre, which gives info on how the rocks and cave was formed. Then you are taken into a theatre to watch a short film on the formation of Barbados and how the caves evolved.

Next everyone is given a helmet and hair net and you board the electric tram that will take you down into the cave.

The tunnel is surprisingly high and it was hard to see what has been blasted. The lighting was done quite well, with the lights hidden by 'frames' camouflaged to look like part of the cave. The guide
gives a commentary as the tram progresses. There is one large chamber. The cave was surprisingly wet (March) and water was dripping from the roof and the steams were quite active. The cave is warm and humid.

A stop is made in a chamber with some nice stal and a stream.

Further on there is nice flowstone. But overall we didn't see much stal and the water features seemed rather artificial. The last stop is at a small lake -

The return is the same route as the inward journey. back in the info centre, you then take a high outdoor elevator back up to the ticket office, shop and the car park level.

Tram tour 60 BDS $ (Barbadian dollar) , US$30 , £22.

Harrison's Cave website.


Update 
An article on Harrison's Cave on Ancient Origins July 2019.

**

Barbados became a republic 30 Nov 2021, on the 55th anniversary of its independence.

Barbados gained full independence on 30 Nov 1966, which meant that the Queen ceased to have sovereignty over Barbados. So the hereditary title of the Queen of Barbados was replaced with the elected position of the President of Barbados. 

Cave of Wonders, Dominican Republic, Caribbean

In March 2019 I was on a cruise around some Caribbean islands. The first island we stopped at was the Dominican Republic. The ship docked at La Romana, in the southeast of the island.

The Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, the latter is on the western side.
The DR is volcanic, but has limestone along the south and east sides, whereas Haiti is rich in limestone.

I joined a tour to Cueva de las Maravillas, Cave of Wonders.

This was discovered by boy scouts in 1926. From the ticket office you walk through an area of coral karst

A thorny tree -

The area above the cave entrance reminded me of a Malaysian wang. About 140 steps lead down to the cave entrance

No photography is allowed inside the cave. The tourist cave is one large chamber with a passage leading off with lots of paintings and this ends in a pool. Lots of stal and it was all really pretty. The whole of the flattish ceiling was full of small bell holes. The pathways and lighting were really well done indeed, no sign of any cables or even light bulbs. Took the government 3 years to do. Lots of tree roots hanging down, that looked like cables.

The cave is known for some 500 paintings, done by the Taino people in pre Colombian times (Columbus reached the DR 1492). They were done in charcoal and animal fats. They have faded but some have been touched up for display. Many of the anthropomorphic paintings are cartoon like, with heads and figures of people. The passage leading off to a small chamber is the main one for the paintings. And a passage off this leads to the rest of the cave which is closed to tourists, and houses a lot of cave fauna.  The show cave passage ends in a nice pool. All really nice but we were rushed through which was a shame. Not at all cold inside, about 19 C. The show cave length is 240 m and the cave is 25 m underground. Very attractive cave.

Roots outside the cave entrance -

As we walked back to the ticket office we saw a large enclosure with lots of iguanas

Entrance fee 300 RDS, US$10 for adults.

See more on Show Caves of the World.