Cuevas del Drach

Cuevas del Drach

The Caves of Drach (Catalan pronunciation: [kɔvəz ðəɫ ˈdɾak], modern Catalan spelling: Coves del Drac, Spanish: Cuevas del Drach, English: "Caves of Drach", lit. "Dragon caves") are four great caves that are located in the island of Majorca, Balearic Islands, Spain.[1] They are in the municipality of Manacor, near the locality of Porto Cristo. They were first mentioned in a letter 1338. The caves extend to a depth of 25 m and reach approximately 4 km in length.[1] The four caves, called Black Cave, White Cave, Cave of Luis Salvador, and Cave of the French, are connected to each other.

The caves have formed by water being forced through the entrance from the Mediterranean Sea, and some researchers think the formation may date back to the Miocene Epoch. There is an underground lake situated in the caves called Martel Lake, which is about 115 m in length and 30 m in width, and its depth varies between four and twelve meters.[2] It is named after the French explorer and scientist Édouard-Alfred Martel, who is considered the founding father of speleology (the study of caves). He was invited to explore the cave 1896. A German cave explorer, M.F. Will, had mapped the White and Black cave in 1880. Martel found two more caves, as well as the underground lake.[3]

The caves are open to the public and one of the main attractions on Mallorca. The visit ends with a short classical concert performed by four musicians on a boat.

References

  1. 1 2 Scheffel, Richard L.; Wernet, Susan J., eds. (1980). Natural Wonders of the World. United States of America: Reader's Digest Association, Inc. p. 130. ISBN 0-89577-087-3.
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-09-11. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  3. ↑ "Areas of Mallorca | Llevant | Caves of Drach | Caves of Hams". Mallorca Days Out. Retrieved 2016-08-30.


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