Blue John Cavern facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blue John Cavern |
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Blue John seams in the cavern
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| Location | Castleton, Derbyshire England |
| Geology | Blue John |
| Entrances | 1 |
The Blue John Cavern is an amazing underground cave in Castleton, Derbyshire, England. It's one of four special caves in the area that people can visit. This cavern is famous for a beautiful and rare mineral found only here!
Discovering Blue John Cavern
The cavern gets its name from a unique and beautiful mineral called Blue John. This mineral is like a gemstone, and it's still carefully dug out from the cave. Miners work outside the main tourist season to find it. Local artists then use this special stone to create lovely jewellery and other crafts. The Blue John mineral itself is incredibly old, forming about 250 million years ago!
The miners who work in the cavern are also the friendly guides who lead tours for visitors. They know all about the cave and the mineral. There are eight main areas, or "seams," where Blue John is found. These areas have cool names like Twelve Vein, Old Dining Room, Bull Beef, and New Cavern.
Did you know that Blue John Cavern was part of a cool photography first? In 1865, a photographer named Alfred Brothers from Manchester used a special light called magnesium to take a picture deep inside the cave. It was one of the first times anyone had taken a photo underground using this method!
What is Blue John?
Blue John, sometimes called "Derbyshire Spar," is a very special mineral. You can only find it in the United Kingdom in two places: Blue John Cavern and a nearby cave called Treak Cliff Cavern.
Blue John is a type of fluorite that has unique bands of color. It often shows beautiful shades of blue, purple, and yellow. The most common idea for its name is that it comes from the French words bleu-jaune, which means 'blue-yellow'. This makes sense because of its colors! However, some people have suggested other ideas for how it got its name.
