Padirac Cave
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The Padirac Chasm or Gouffre de Padirac is a cave located near Gramat, in the Lot département, in France.
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[edit] Features
The chasm itself is approximately 99 m around its rim with a diameter of approximately 35 metres. Visitors descend 75 m via a lift or a starcase before entering the cave system. The cave, at a depth of 103 metres, contains a subterranean river system that is partly negotiable by boat. This cave system is regarded as "one of the most extraordinary natural phenomena of the Massif Central".[1]
[edit] Formation
The chasm was created at an undetermined point in time when the roof colapsed into a large internal cavern. It is known that the cavern existed in third century AD, and was inhabited during the 15th and 16th centuries during which time Potassium nitrate was excavated from the area.
[edit] Tourism
The first tourists visited the cave on November 1, 1898, however the site was officially opened for tourism on April 10, 1899 by Georges Leygues, the 87th President of France. Today, although the cave system is made up of more than 40 km of galeries, only 2 km have been opened for tourism.
Since the 1930's, visitors can access the underground cave system by descending 75m by lift or stairs, and then exploring the cave system on foot and by boat.
Padirac holds the record for the most frequently visited underground tourism facility in France. More than 350,000 visitors annually, and a record of 460,000 in 1991.
[edit] Exploration
The cave was first explored, in 1889, by Édouard-Alfred Martel. Much of the credit for opening the cave system is owed to Guy de Lavaur (1903-86), who came to Padirac in 1938 and managed to penetrate 15 km of the passages.
[edit] References
- ^ Michelin. Green Guide: France. 2000. ISBN 2-06-000069-6
[edit] External links
