Skyline Caverns
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Skyline Caverns, is a series of geologic caves and a tourist attraction located in Front Royal, Virginia. The caverns were discovered by Walter S. Amos, a retired geologist and mineralogist from Winchester, Virginia, on December 17, 1937.
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[edit] History
Amos was contracted by several private and government agencies to search for caves and caverns to open in conjunction with Skyline Drive. During his search, he came across the current parking lot of the caverns, which he noticed was in the shape of a sinkhole. Normally, sinkholes are created by the collapsing of a cavern roof, which takes the ground above with it.
Knowing this, Amos began to search the edges for some opening to the possible cave system below. He found this opening on the lip of the sinkhole by noticing a small colony of camel crickets (which only live in damp, dark areas by nature) under a small ledge. Upon digging out the first "room" of the caverns, he came into a large system of connected rooms, most of which were navigable and cleared from all obstructions. 90% of the caverns were naturally accessible and other than the entrance area, only 10% needed to be dug out.
However, the cavern floor was lined with approximately 14 inches of mud and clay, which had to be cleared before the caverns could be opened to the public on April 13, 1939.
[edit] Anthodites
During the clearing of this mud, Amos and his men discovered another area in the caverns that had been blocked for many years, by a large amount of mud. Upon clearing the newly discovered area, the geologist discovered anthodites. Anthodites are an unusual form of crystal, or perfect 6-sided crystalline structures made of pure calcite. These crystals are protected by Virginia State Law, and are kept behind closed doors that a tour guide must open for the public to view them.
[edit] Guided tours
Today, guided tours (as opposed to self-guided tours) are given year-round, including on Christmas Day. There are several anthodite formations on the ceilings, which are covered by wire screening, presumably to prevent adventurous persons from jumping up and breaking them off. There is one room, the deepest part of the cave, 260 feet deep, which allows visitors to see the anthodites without having to peer through wire mesh.
There are 48 steps from the end of the tour (only 20% of the cave is available for viewing) to daylight. Those people with heart conditions may not want to attempt these stairs.
[edit] External links
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