Frequently Asked Questions about Jenolan Caves for Students

This section is principally for the benefit of school students working on assignments and has been developed based upon the questions that students normally ask. If you have an assignment, check this section first. If you still can't find what you are looking for, have a look in the research room option. As webmaster, I have yet to be asked a question by a student that isn't answered already elsewhere. If you are convinced the answer isn't on this website, then email a question by clicking here. NOTE If you are too lazy to read this section or look on the website for your answers don't expect an answer. There are far too many questions that get emailed to me along the lines of "What are the caves made of - I need the answer by tomorrow". Questions like that will never get an answer. You will find a lot more information if you take the time to look around this site. These answers are just summaries of information found elsewhere.

1. What are the caves made of?

Limestone. It is a sedimentary rock formed beneath the sea of calcareous ooze.

2. How did the caves form?

Water, falling as rain, collects carbon dioxide which makes it slightly acidic. As it filters through the soil it becomes even more acidic. Consequently the water starts to dissolve the limestone rock, enlarging fractures to the point that you can walk through them. Underground rivers also dissolve the rock but the rivers also carry gravel and sediment which scours the walls of cave passages, serving to enlarge them even more.

3. How do the formations form?

Water enters the cave containing dissolved limestone. One of the principal components of limestone is calcium carbonate. When a drop of water releases carbon dioxide gas crystals of calcium carbonate form. Crystalline calcium carbonate is called calcite. Crystal forms where-ever the water drop happens to be when the gas is released.

4. What types of cave formations are there?

a. Stalactites (hang on tight to the roof - they look a little like carrots hanging down), b. Stalagmites (might one day reach the roof - they are mounds of crystal rising upwards from the floor, sometimes looking like an upside down icecream cone), c. Columns (formed when a stalactite joins a stalagmite so a continual pillar of crystal extends from floor to roof), d. Flowstone (where the water dribbles over the base rock leaving a large sheet of crystal), e. Shawls (where a drop of water dribbles down the wall - one drop follows the next so that a sheet of crystal is built up which hangs like a sheet out from the wall), f. Helictites (curly formations which are formed by a complex set of processes which is too involved to describe here). There are many other types of formations but these are the main ones.

5. When were the caves found?

The caves were known to the aboriginal people of the area although there is no evidence to suggest they entered the caves. European settlers discovered the caves around 1838-1840 (the exact date was never recorded). Of the caves shown to the public on tours, the Lucas has been known the longest, having been discovered in 1860.

6. Where did Jenolan Caves get their name?

Originally the caves were known as the Fish River Caves as early visitors approaching the caves had to cross this river. In 1884 it was recognised that the Fish River actually flowed to the west of the Great Dividing Range whereas the creeks that flow through the caves are on the eastern side. Consequently it was decided a new name was required. Eventually the name Jenolan was decided on since the caves were in the parish of Jenolan. Jenolan was also an aboriginal name for a mountain several kilometres from the caves.

7. What things live in the caves?

The largest inhabitants of the caves are bats. Several species are found in the caves, predominatly those caves that are seldom visited by people. The bats feed on insects that they find outside of the caves. Apart from the bats various small insects can be found, especially near the entrances of the caves where food is easiest to come by. Some small shrimp like creatures have been found in the water in the Cerberus Cave but apart from that no other life has been documented within the waterways of the caves. Snakes and wombats are not found within the caves. Wombats dig burrows and if they enter a cave they stay near the entrance. In the case of snakes, they quickly lose heat from their bodies if they enter a cave and will die if they can't return to the surface in a hurry.

8. What is the climate of the caves?

The conditions within the caves tend to be reasonably static. Humidity stays close to 100% and temperatures remain around 17 degrees Celsius. There are variations depending on where you are within the caves. The most significant variations occur near the cave entrances where the air can freely circulate with the air outside the caves. In terms of the climate on the surface, the caves are located within the Blue Mountains at an elevation of 790m. The climate can therefore be considered to be very similar to that of the upper Blue Mountains. It is very hot in summer and very cold in winter with snowfalls occuring several times a year. Click here to examine climate data provided by the Bureau of Meteorology.

9. Where are the caves?

The caves are located about 110km west of Sydney on the edge of the Kanagra Boyd National Park. It is generally regarded as being on the southern boundary of the Blue Mountains. They are located on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range and as such water that flows through the caves ends up flowing into Warragamba Dam, Sydney's water supply and then into the Pacific Ocean. The nearest town is Oberon which has pine plantation processing as its main industry. Click here for a map of where the caves are.

10. What is special about the caves

This is a question that can not be answered on this site. It is up to you to decide what makes the caves special to you. You may find there is something about the landscape that has an impact upon you, be it the caves or aspects of the surface. Maybe it is the animals that live on the reserve or possibly the history of the area. You are encouraged to explore the website and see what you can find that seems special to you.

9. How should I ask a question?

If you have got this far and you have used the search facility to try and find an answer and you still can't can't find what you need, you may want to email a question. Whilst the webmaster is more than happy to help with assignments, he does not enjoy getting assignment questions sent to him because students are too lazy to do their homework. Before you ask for help with an assignment question try and put together some of your own thoughts about the subject. When you write to the webmaster, tell him what the assignment question is and what your thoughts are already. Say what you think the right answer might be. If you really have no idea of where to start, pretend that you are a newspaper reporter sent to interview the webmaster. You need to decide what questions you need to ask to learn more about your subject. Students who can show in their email that they have already given some thought to their assignment are more likely to get good answers back.