Smoo Cave facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Smoo Cave |
|
|---|---|
Smoo Cave entrance
|
|
| Location | Durness in Sutherland, Highland, Scotland |
| Geology | Early Ordovician / dolomites |
Smoo Cave is a very large and special cave in Durness, Scotland. It's unique because it's a mix of a sea cave (formed by the ocean) and a freshwater cave (formed by an inland stream). The name 'Smoo' likely comes from an old Norse word, 'smjugg' or 'smuga', which means a hole or a secret hiding place.
How Smoo Cave Was Formed
Smoo Cave was carved out of a type of rock called dolomite. This rock formed a very long time ago, during a period called the Early Ordovician. The cave sits where two different kinds of dolomite meet: a lighter grey rock and a darker, spotted rock. You can still see many hard, round chert rocks inside the cave. These were left behind when the softer dolomite around them dissolved away.
The cave was created by two main forces working together. The sea helped shape the big entrance, while an underground stream carved out the inner parts. The stream, called Allt Smoo, flows over a hard rock called quartzite. When it reaches the softer dolomite, the water sinks underground and continues to carve out the cave.
Exploring Smoo Cave
Smoo Cave is special in the United Kingdom because its first big room was made by the sea, but its inner rooms were formed by freshwater. This freshwater dissolves the dolomite rock. Inside the cave, the waters of Allt Smoo drop down as a 20-meter (66 ft) high waterfall. This happens because the stream flows from hard, waterproof rocks onto the softer, porous dolomite, where it sinks into the ground.
You can think of Smoo Cave as two caves that joined over time. It has three main parts:
- A huge sea cave entrance.
- A chamber with a waterfall.
- A short freshwater passage that leads to a pool of water at the very back.
The entrance to the cave is about 40 meters (130 ft) wide and 15 meters (49 ft) high. It's the biggest sea cave entrance in Britain! The entrance is at the end of a 600-meter (660 yd) long tidal gorge. This gorge was once part of the cave but its roof collapsed. Today, the sea rarely enters the cave, only during very high tides. This is because the land in the area has slowly risen over many years.
The cave is about 83 meters (272 ft) long from the entrance to the pool at the back. However, the stream continues to flow underground from this pool. Scientists have used special dyes to track the water. They found that the underground passage goes at least 100 meters (330 ft) further upstream from the waterfall. This means the cave system is much longer than it appears!
Cave divers have explored the underwater parts of the cave for about 40 meters (130 ft). But it's hard to go further because the water is often full of silt and peat. Sometimes, the main waterfall inside the cave is dry. It only becomes active when the stream upstream overflows.
People have found many old things in Smoo Cave. These include tools and items from the Neolithic (New Stone Age), Iron Age, and even from the Norse people. It's thought that people might have used the cave as far back as the Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age). Because of its history, the cave is a protected site called a scheduled monument.
Visiting Smoo Cave
Smoo Cave is located about 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) east of the village of Durness. It's easy to visit, with a car park, toilets, and paths that lead down to the cave. Around 40,000 people visit the cave each year. There are even boat tours during the summer that take visitors further into the inner chambers of the cave.
Images for kids
-
Smoo Cave with its gorge, Geodha Smoo.
