Harrison's Cave is a tourist attraction in the country of

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...

, first mentioned in 1795. Tourists can access the subterranean environment on a tramway.

History

The caves were first mentioned in historical documents in 1795, and were rediscovered in the early 1970s by Jack Peeples. They were developed by the government as part of a tram tour, and opened to the public in 1981.

Description

Harrison's Cave is in the central uplands of Barbados. It is situated at above sea level. The three characteristics of the central uplands are

gullies A gully is a landform created by running water, mass movement, or commonly a combination of both eroding sharply into soil or other relatively erodible material, typically on a hillside or in river floodplains or terraces. Gullies resemble lar ...

sinkholes A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...

and

caverns A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

. It is also an entrance for another place of interest: Welchman Hall Gully which is closed. The caves are naturally formed by water

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is dis ...

through the

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

rock. The

calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar t ...

-rich water that runs through the caves have formed the unusual stalactites and stalagmites formations. Travel through the caves is by

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

, at certain points during the tour visitors are allowed to alight from the tram and get close up to the formations. One main area of the caves is a huge cavern, termed "''The Great Hall''", measuring over in height. After the great Hall the tram stops at "''The Village''". At ''The Village,'' some of the formations have joined to form columns after thousands of years. Other areas the tram stops along the tour is "The Chapel," "The Rotunda," and "The Altar." Visitors travel through the Boyce Tunnel via tram to all depths of the cave.

References

External links

Review of Harrisons Cave

Official website

Review of Harrison's Cave
Saint Thomas, Barbados Natural history of Barbados Show caves Limestone caves Caves of Barbados Tourist attractions in Barbados Caves of the Caribbean {{Barbados-geo-stub