Harrison's Cave is a tourist attraction in the country of Barbados

Barbados

Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...

, first mentioned in 1795. Tourists can access the subterranean environment on a tramway.

History

The caves were first mentioned in historical documents in 1795. For almost 200 years they were forgotten. In 1976, Danish speleologist

Speleology

Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form and change over time...

 Ole Sørensen, along with Barbadian Tony Mason re-discovered them.

Opening

The caves were opened as a tourist attraction

Tourist attraction

A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....

 in 1981. The caves allow visitors to see some of the most beautiful natural geological features of Barbados. It is now Barbados' Number One attraction.

Description

The caves are naturally formed by water erosion

Erosion

Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...

 through the limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

 rock. The calcium

Calcium

Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...

-rich water that runs through the caves have formed the unusual stalactite

Stalactite

A stalactite , "to drip", and meaning "that which drips") is a type of speleothem that hangs from the ceiling of limestone caves. It is a type of dripstone...

s and stalagmite

Stalagmite

A stalagmite is a type of speleothem that rises from the floor of a limestone cave due to the dripping of mineralized solutions and the deposition of calcium carbonate. This stalagmite formation occurs only under certain pH conditions within the underground cavern. The corresponding formation on...

s formations. Travel through the caves is by tram

Tram

A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...

, at certain points during the tour visitors are allowed to alight from the tram and get close up to the formations. One main area of the caves is a huge cavern, termed "The Great Hall", measuring over 100 feet in height. After the Great Hall the tram stops at "The Village". At The Village some of the formations have joined together to form columns after thousands of years. Harrison's Cave is in the central uplands of Barbados. It is situated at 700ft above sea level. The three (3) characterists of the central uplands are gullies, sinkholes and caverns.