Crystal Cave is a cave in the British overseas territory of

Bermuda ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , ...

. It is located in

Hamilton Parish Hamilton Parish (originally Bedford Parish) is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It was renamed for Scottish aristocrat James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton (1589-1625) when he purchased the shares originally held in the Virginia Company ...

, close to

Castle Harbour Castle Harbour is a large natural harbour in Bermuda. It is located between the northeastern end of the main island and St. David's Island. Originally called ''Southampton Port'', it was renamed as a result of its heavy fortification in the early ...

. The cave is approximately 500 m long, and 62 m deep. The lower 19–20 m of the cave are below water level. The cave formed at a time when the

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

was lower; as the sea level rose, many

cave formations A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation by mineral deposits that accumulate over time in natural caves. Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a variety of forms, depending o ...

which formed above water became submerged. A tourist attraction since 1907, it was discovered in 1905 by Carl Gibbons and Edgar Hollis, two 12-year-old boys searching for a lost cricket ball. Soon after, the Wilkinson family (the owners of the property since 1884) learned of the discovery. Mr. Percy Wilkinson lowered his 14-year-old son Bernard into it with a bicycle lamp on 140 feet of strong rope tied to a tree to explore the cave. The area surrounding

Harrington Sound Harrington Sound is a large inland body of water in the northeast of the main island of Bermuda. It is surrounded by the main island on all sides, only appearing open to the ocean via a small channel called Flatt's Inlet in the southwest. Much o ...

(which lies to the south of Crystal Cave) is of limestone formation and is noted for its many subterranean waterways, through which the waters of the sound empty into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

. Crystal Cave is one of these, and, as its name suggests, is known for its beauty, with many

stalactite A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' ('dripping') via ''stalassein'' ('to drip') is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble an ...

stalagmite A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling") is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically ...

s and deep, clear pools. However, some crystal formations have been damaged by earthquakes in the distant past. An excursion to Crystal Cave also includes the neighbouring Fantasy Cave, with Fantasy being deeper (88 steps down). Fantasy Cave was reopened in the summer of 2001 with all the pathways rebuilt and re-illuminated by artificial lighting. It was discovered and opened about the same time as Crystal Cave, but was closed by the owners in the 1940s. The two caves located on 8 Crystal Caves Rd. at Wilkinson Ave. are accessible by bus going between Hamilton and St. George's Parishes, taxi and other private forms of transportation (including motorbike and bicycle). Outside the two caves is a sub-tropical garden lined with palm trees where many species of trees and flowers are located. The caves are owned by the local Wilkinson Trust and are open to the public.

Gallery

File:Crystal Cave Bermuda1.JPG File:Crystal Cave Bermuda2.JPG Crystal Cave File:Crystal Cave Bermuda 2.jpg File:Crystal Cave Bermuda 3.jpg File:Crystal_Cave,_Bermuda_2.jpg Fantasy Cave File:IMG_0343fantasy.JPG File:IMG 0348fantasy.JPG File:IMG 0351fantasy.JPG

References

Caves of Bermuda Karst caves Hamilton Parish {{Bermuda-geo-stub