List of caves in Belize

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A cave is a natural opening in the ground stretching beyond the zone of light and large enough to permit the entry of a person. Some are found in cliffs at the edge of the coastline, chiseled away by the relentless pounding of waves and also by a variety of geological processes. Caves range from the size of a single small room to interlinked passages, miles long.

Contents

Below shows a list of some caves in Belize with known depths and lengths.

Caves

CaveAreaDepth
(m)
Length
(m)
Discovery DateDiscoverer
Actun A7,000
Actun Box Ch'iich' -183
Actun Check 4,500
Actun Chapat Cave
Actun Kabal Chiquibul-9512,000
Actun Loch Tunich (Black Hole Drop)
Actun Lubul Ha Boundary Fault, Caves Branch3,750
Actun Nab Nohol inferior4,500
Actun Tun Kul Chiquibul16039,000
Actun Tunichil Muknal Boundary Fault, Cayo District5,300
Barton Creek Cave Barton Creek8,000
Che Chem Ha Cave 1989William Morales
Chiquibul Cave System Chiquibul-9558,000
Flour Camp Cave
Great Blue Hole 124
Caves Branch Cave
Yit Ha (Rio Blanco sink) - Hokeb Ha Cave (Blue Creek Cave)Rio Blanco - Blue Creek, Toledo District9,000
Laguna Cave
Midnight Terror Cave 2006
Nohoch Che'en
Petroglyph Cave - St Herman's Cave Boundary Fault, Caves Branch17,000
Tiger Cave (Tich Hulz)Rio Grande, Toledo District5,078
Pueblo Creek Cave - OchochpecPueblo Viejo - Aguacate, Toledo District7,000
Yux Ta'HaRio Grande, Toledo District3,000
AC CaveBladen, Toledo District4,000

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caving</span> Recreational pastime of exploring cave systems

Caving, also known as spelunking and potholing, is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems. In contrast, speleology is the scientific study of caves and the cave environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cave</span> Natural underground space large enough for a human to enter

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 caves, rock shelters, and grottos, that extend a relatively short distance into the rock and they are called exogene caves. Caves which extend further underground than the opening is wide are called endogene caves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lascaux</span> Caves in France with Paleolithic cave paintings

Lascaux is a network of caves near the village of Montignac, in the department of Dordogne in southwestern France. Over 600 parietal wall paintings cover the interior walls and ceilings of the cave. The paintings represent primarily large animals, typical local contemporary fauna that correspond with the fossil record of the Upper Paleolithic in the area. They are the combined effort of many generations. With continued debate, the age of the paintings is now usually estimated at around 17,000 years. Because of the outstanding prehistoric art in the cave, Lascaux was inducted into the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979, as an element of the Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mammoth Cave National Park</span> National park and cave in Kentucky, USA

Mammoth Cave National Park is a national park in south-central Kentucky, US. It encompasses portions of Mammoth Cave, the longest known cave system in the world. The park's 52,830 acres (21,380 ha) are located primarily in Edmonson County, with small areas extending eastward into Hart and Barren counties. The Green River runs through the park, with a tributary called the Nolin River feeding into the Green just inside the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naracoorte Caves National Park</span> Protected area in South Australia

Naracoorte Caves National Park is a national park near Naracoorte in the Limestone Coast tourism region in the south-east of South Australia (Australia). It was officially recognised in 1994 for its extensive fossil record when the site was inscribed on the World Heritage List, along with Riversleigh. The park preserves 6 km2 of remnant vegetation, with 26 caves contained within the 3.05 km2 World Heritage Area. Out of the 28 known caves in the park, only four are open to the public. Other caves are kept away from the public eye as they are important for scientific research and also for the protection of the caves and their contents. Many of the caves contain spectacular stalactites and stalagmites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speleology</span> Science of cave and karst systems

Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, as well as their composition, structure, physical properties, history, ecology, and the processes by which they form (speleogenesis) and change over time (speleomorphology). The term speleology is also sometimes applied to the recreational activity of exploring caves, but this is more properly known as caving, potholing, or spelunking. Speleology and caving are often connected, as the physical skills required for in situ study are the same.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creswell Crags</span> Gorge with caves in East Midlands, England

Creswell Crags is an enclosed limestone gorge on the border between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, England, near the villages of Creswell and Whitwell. The cliffs in the ravine contain several caves that were occupied during the last ice age, between around 43,000 and 10,000 years ago. Its caves contain the northernmost cave art in Europe. The evidence of occupation found in the rich series of sediments that accumulated over many thousands of years is regarded as internationally unique in demonstrating how prehistoric people managed to live at the extreme northernmost limits of their territory during the Late Pleistocene period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cave of Altamira</span> Cave and archaeological site with prehistoric paintings in Spain

The Cave of Altamira is a cave complex, located near the historic town of Santillana del Mar in Cantabria, Spain. It is renowned for prehistoric cave art featuring charcoal drawings and polychrome paintings of contemporary local fauna and human hands. The earliest paintings were applied during the Upper Paleolithic, around 36,000 years ago. The site was discovered in 1868 by Modesto Cubillas and subsequently studied by Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cenote</span> Natural pit or sinkhole that exposes groundwater underneath

A cenote is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting when a collapse of limestone bedrock exposes groundwater. The term originated on the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, where the ancient Maya commonly used cenotes for water supplies, and occasionally for sacrificial offerings. The name derives from a word used by the lowland Yucatec Maya—tsʼonoʼot—to refer to any location with accessible groundwater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenolan Caves</span> Limestone caves in New South Wales, Australia

The Jenolan Caves are limestone caves located within the Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve in the Central Tablelands region, west of the Blue Mountains, in Jenolan, Oberon Council, New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The caves and 3,083-hectare (7,620-acre) reserve are situated approximately 175 kilometres (109 mi) west of Sydney, 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of Oberon and 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Katoomba. Dating back to 340million years ago, it is the oldest known and dated open cave system in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Blue Hole</span> Marine sinkhole off the coast of Belize

The Great Blue Hole is a giant marine sinkhole off the coast of Belize. It lies near the center of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 70 km (43 mi) from the mainland and Belize City. The hole is circular in shape, 318 m (1,043 ft) across and 124 m (407 ft) deep. It has a surface area of 70,650 square metres (760,500 sq ft). It was formed during several phases of the Quaternary glaciation when sea levels were much lower. Analysis of stalactites found in the Great Blue Hole shows that formation took place 153,000, 66,000, 60,000, and 15,000 years ago. As the ocean began to rise again, the cave was flooded. The Great Blue Hole is a part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Show cave</span> Cave made accessible to the general public for guided visits

A show cave—also called tourist cave, public cave, and, in the United States, commercial cave—is a cave which has been made accessible to the public for guided visits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Býčí skála Cave</span> Cave and archaeological site in the Czech Republic

Býčí skála Cave is part of the second longest cave system in Moravia, Czech Republic. It is also famous for archaeological discoveries. Except for the entrance, the cave is not accessible to the public, although occasionally it is opened for visitors.

Koonalda Cave is a cave in the Australian state of South Australia, on the Nullarbor Plain. It is located within the Nullarbor Wilderness Protection Area, 99 kilometres (62 mi) west of the Nullarbor roadhouse and 97 kilometres (60 mi) north east from Eucla, Western Australia It is notable as an archeological site.

Research Cave, also known as the Arnold Research Cave and the Saltpetre Cave, and designated by the Smithsonian trinomial 23CY64, is a major Native American archaeological site near Portland, Missouri. Investigation of the site has uncovered evidence of human habitation as far back as 8,000 years. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964; it has been recommended for de-designation due to looting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Cave</span> United States historic place

Graham Cave is a Native American archeological site near Mineola, Missouri in Montgomery County in the hills above the Loutre River. It is located in the 356 acre Graham Cave State Park. The entrance of the sandstone cave forms a broad arch 120 feet (37 m) wide and 16 feet (5 m) high. Extending about 100 feet (30 m) into the hillside, the cave protects an historically important Pre-Columbian archaeological site from the ancient Dalton and Archaic period dating back to as early as 10,000 years ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park</span> State park in Santa Barbara County, California

Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park is a unit in the state park system of California, United States, preserving a small sandstone cave adorned with rock art attributed to the Chumash people. Adjoining the small community of Painted Cave, the site is located about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of California State Route 154 and 11 miles (18 km) northwest of Santa Barbara. The 7.5-acre (3.0 ha) park was established in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caves in Cantabria</span> Caves with prehistoric paintings in Spain

The Cantabrian caves' unique location make them an ideal place to observe the settlements of early humans thousands of years ago. The magnificent art in the caves includes figures of various animals of the time such as bison, horses, goats, deer, cattle, hands and other paintings. Archaeologists have found remains of animals such as bears, the remains of arrows and other material indicating a human presence; these artifacts are now found mostly in the Regional Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology of Cantabria.

Portbraddon Cave is a relict sea cave located near Portbraddon, County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland. Its location 5 m (16 ft) above the present-day high water mark makes it important archaeologically, as it would have been inhabited as far back as the Mesolithic.

The Mahlac Pictograph Cave is a rock art site on the island of Guam. It is located high in the southern mountains of the island, and contains more than 40 images, rendered in paints that are white, red, brown, and black. The art was carefully analyzed in 2011, and a radiocarbon date of c. 600 CE was obtained from a paint sample. The meaning of the art is a subject of debate.

References

    [1] [2]

    1. Hanson, Jeanne K. Caves. Infobase Publishing.
    2. "Caves". National Geographic. Archived from the original on March 25, 2017.