AUSTRALIA: Scientists date Jenolan caves back to 340 million-years, making them the world's oldest open caves

A series of limestone caves west of Sydney have been pronounced the oldest in the world, dating back 340 million years, according to Australian scientists. The Jenolan caves, a popular tourist attraction, now surpass caves in New Mexico, approximately 90 million years old, as the oldest dated open caves on the planet. Armstrong Osbourne, a scientist who helped date the caves, says it is a unique opportunity for tourists to walk around in caves so old. "This is the oldest cave that we know of in the world which you can actually walk around in that's not filled up with solid rock", he said. Australian scientists have only been able to access the dating research from the past two years, as it was previously only available to oil companies. The researchers studied tiny amounts of radioactive potassium in clay to determine the age of the caves; however, before the significance of the clay was realised, it was used to repair sewer pipes because of its malleable composition. Osbourne says the caves were thought to be much younger, but the latest findings indicate they pre-date dinosaurs. "The result, it was just too crazy at first because we'd imagine these bits of cave might be (only) one-hundred years old...so it took us quite a few years to be certain enough to tell the world about this because we had to be sure it really was the age of the cave", he said. The stalactite formations inside the cave are one of the cave's main attractions, and atmospheric music provide visitors with a surreal experience. The caves attract over 250,000 tourist a year, making them the most popular tourist attraction in the state of New South Wales.

ITN Source | August 5, 2006

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