The Baths
Encyclopedia
Virgin Gorda
Virgin Gorda is the third-largest and second most populous of the British Virgin Islands . Located at approximately 18 degrees, 48 minutes North, and 64 degrees, 30 minutes West, it covers an area of about...
among the British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...
in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
Geography
"The Baths" are situated about 1,2 miles (2 km) south off the maintown Spanish TownSpanish Town, British Virgin Islands
Spanish Town on southern Virgin Gorda is the second largest town on the British Virgin Islands. Also known as The Valley, Spanish Town offers numerous shopping possibilities featuring Mr. Nice Guy Store which is located in Spanish Town right across from the Virgin Gorda Yacht Harber...
at the southern tip of the island between Spring Bay and Devil's Bay.
"The Baths" are an area of unique geologic formations and one of the BVI's major tourist destinations.
The Area
At "The Baths", the beach shows evidence of the island's volcanicVolcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
origins, which deposited granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
that eroded
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...
into piles of boulders on the beach. The boulders form natural tidal pools, tunnels, arches and scenic grotto
Grotto
A grotto is any type of natural or artificial cave that is associated with modern, historic or prehistoric use by humans. When it is not an artificial garden feature, a grotto is often a small cave near water and often flooded or liable to flood at high tide...
es that are open to the sea. The largest boulders are about 40 feet (12 m) long.
Since 1990 the area has been a "BVI National Park" as are the adjacent bays, and the area is a major tourist
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
attraction, with swimming and snorkelling being the main attractions.
