Darvaza water crater, Turkmenistan

The Darvaza Water Crater is a collapsed sinkhole filled with water located roughly 24 km south of the famous Darvaza Gas Crater ("Gates of Hell") in the Karakum Desert of Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan is in Central Asia. Darvaza is also known as Derweze. It is roughly in the middle of the country - see red pin -

Google Earth image showing the water crater -

The crater is approximately 50 m in diameter and 15 m deep. It probably formed after a cavern collapse which may be related to prospecting and drilling for natural gas. The Soviet Union were drilling in the 1970s.  

The water is a turquoise green colour, due to minerals and sulphur content. Bubbles of gas can be seen. According to this article on Researchgate the water crater seems to be from the Neogene period, 23 million and 2.6 million years ago. [Although I am not sure if it falls within the green area, which is the older Paleogene period, 66 million to 23 million years ago.]  ResearchGate geological map -

The layers of rock are horizontal.

Borra Cave, Andhra Pradesh, India

 I was going through my 1988 photos of India and saw some of Borra Cave. Borra Cave is in Andhra Pradesh.

Wikipedia has a page on Borra. This is the first paragraph : "Borra Caves (Telugu: Borrā Guhalu) are a limestone cave system in Ananthagiri hills of the Araku Valley in Alluri Sitharama Raju district, Andhra Pradesh. They feature extensive karst formations, including stalactites, stalagmites, and other speleothems. "Borra" means "hole" in Telugu language

Unfortunately my photos are very poor, blurred

This was a brief entry in my caving diary, written on my return to UK -

This is an article I wrote for the Cerberus Spelaeological Society Journal, July 1988, Vol 18, No 2, p34-35.

Borra caves on Show caves of the world . 

Wellington Rocks, Tunbridge Wells, Kent

 Not cave related, but it is of geological interest!

Tunbridge Wells Common is an open area adjacent to Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent. It is a natural area of heathland and in one area is a cluster of sandstone rocks, called Wellington Rocks. According to the sign board, the rocks were laid down as deposits from a vast freshwater lake around 136 million years ago and sculpted by wind and water erosion during the Ice Age.  

When grazing stopped on the heathland at the start of the 20th century, shrubs took over and covered the rocks. They have since been uncovered again. 

The rocks date to the Cretaceous period. They were named in the 19th century after the Duke of Wellington. 

There are several outcrops of rocks around Tunbridge Wells : 

The rocks around Tunbridge Wells

High Rocks

Harrison Rocks

Grotte de Napoléon , Corsica

Grotte de Napoléon aka Grotte du Casone (also sometimes Grotte Bonaparte) is not a real cave, it is a gap forming a shelter below huge granite rocks. It is located on a hill in the town of Ajaccio, which is the capital of Corsica. 

The cave is shaded by some trees and the young Napoleon went there to retreat, learn his lessons, meditate, or to find some inspiration. The country house where he was raised was located on the same hill as the cave. 

The cave is at the side of the Mémorial Napoléon, this is a huge pyramid of white marble, with a sculpture of Napoleon on top, made of bronze. Napoleon Bonaparte was born in 1769 in Ajaccio.

Looking down at the cave from above -

It seems the cave was a more important tourist site a century ago, there were lots of postcards and pictures of the cave. The name was given to the cave quite early, and its popularity actually started when he was still alive.

source  http://www.panoramio.com/photo/81281400

In town there is a new restaurant named "La grotte Napoleon 1769" and they show a film about the life of Napoleon.

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See more on this show caves page.