Shatter Cave facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Shatter Cave |
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Pillar Chamber, Shatter Cave
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| Location | Stoke St Michael, UK |
| OS grid | ST65734753 |
| Geology | Limestone |
| Registry | Mendip Cave Registry |
Shatter Cave is a fascinating cave located in Fairy Cave Quarry, near Stoke St Michael in Somerset, England. It's found within the Mendip Hills, an area famous for its limestone landscape. This special cave is part of the St. Dunstan's Well Catchment Site of Special Scientific Interest. This means it's a protected area because of its unique natural features.
The cave's name, Shatter Cave, comes from the damage caused by blasting in the nearby quarry. This blasting unfortunately harmed some of the beautiful natural decorations inside the cave.
Exploring Shatter Cave
Shatter Cave is known for its amazing natural beauty. Many people say it has some of the most beautiful decorations found in any cave in Britain. These decorations are made from pure white and clear calcite deposits. Calcite is a mineral that forms over long periods as water drips through the rock.
What Makes Shatter Cave Special?
Inside the cave, you'll find several unique areas:
- Diesel Chamber: This area has wonderful gours. Gours are like small, natural dams or pools formed by minerals.
- Helicite Rift: Here, you can see heligmites and a stalactite curtain. Heligmites are unusual cave formations that seem to grow in different directions, not just down. A stalactite curtain looks like a wavy sheet hanging from the cave ceiling.
- Pillar Chamber: This chamber is home to a tall, white pillar, about 3 metres (10 ft) high. A pillar forms when a stalactite (hanging from the ceiling) and a stalagmite (growing from the floor) meet and join together. This chamber also has one of the most beautiful crystalline gour floors in Great Britain.
- Tor Chamber, Portcullis Grottoes, and Pisa Passage: These sections of the cave are also highly decorated with many stunning formations.
How to Visit Shatter Cave
To protect the delicate calcite formations inside Shatter Cave, access is carefully managed. The Fairy Caves Management Committee is in charge of who can enter the cave. They work on behalf of the quarry owners. Because the formations are so fragile, people who are new to caving are usually not allowed to enter Shatter Cave. This helps keep the cave's natural beauty safe for the future.
