New Mexico Caverns Tourism Places

Fingals Cave Tourist Place 

Fingal's cave is a basalt sea cave on the Hebridean islet of Staffa off the west coast of Scotland. It is a perfect example of natural architecture. It looks like the architecture of a greek temple but it is totally natural. 

The basalt cliff that plunges vertically down to the sea has been shaped into many black and brown columns, receding into a large cavern on the side of the cliff. Each column is outlined by 'Yellow Stalagmite matter'. The columns are topped by sponge basalt mass and then with a layer of springy turf. 

Fingal or Fium or Fuihi was said to be a legendary hero about whom the Gaelic bard Ossian wrote in his poems.  Mendelssohn's composed his famous musical 'Fingal's cave' inspired by this. 

Fingal's cave attracted many tourists and is considered a cave cathedral. Robert Peel called it a, "Temple not made with hands". 

Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico Tourist Place

A strikingly beautiful example of nature's architecture are the 'Carlsbad Caverns'. They are located in New Mexico. 28 miles from the town of Carlsbad. 

Beneath 73 square miles of hilly, desert country, covered with cacti, a network of beautifully formed caves exist. More than 200 years ago the entire Carlsbad area was covered by sea water. Here coral polyps built massive lime stone reef.   The sea dried up or withdrew from that area, and it was buried under metres of sand and sediment. A few millions of years after that, mountains thrust upwards due to geological activity Ground water containing carbon-di-oxide seeped into the lime stone reefs and created hollows. These hollows gradually became larger and larger. The seepage of the surface water carried the dissolved limestone on to the walls of the caves, which solidifed into many variously shaped limestone formations, stalactites hanging from the ceiling stalagmites rising from the floor, limestone domes and pillars in many shapes. 

At the entrance there is an 89 feet wide and 39 feet high natural arch. Thins leads into a corridor at a depth of 828 feet. There are many caves, notable of which are the king's chamber with sparkling onyx Queen's chamber with its elephant ear formations, papoose room, big room, massive subterranean cathedral, all with their own constantly changing patterns of stalactite and stalagmite formations are breathtaking beautiful. 

The Petrified Forest Tourist Place 

The Petrified Forest, Arizona, USA does not look like a forest because there are no green trees or bushes. This is the place where there was a great forest millions of years back. Originally a dense forest stood around a swampy basin. Due to natural reasons like storms and earthquakes these trees were uprooted and fell into the basin. Here they were covered by thousands of meters of mud, sand and ash from volcanic activity. 

The tissues of the plants got petrified i.e. the minerals from sand and ash like silica, potassium etc. got
into the stems and roots and they got preserved for ever. The minerals got into every cell of the plant and the details and designs of the plant tissues were permanently preserved in mineral form. 

The size of these petrified plants ranges from trunks of huge proportions to small ones, in every colour possible.  They all shine in the sun along with precious stones like quartz, agate, opal etc. 

At the northern end of the petrified forest is another of nature's wonders "The painted desert". This has all the colours, patterns and layers of standstone, shale and clay. The colours and shapes change with the sun. It is most beautiful in the early mornings and late eventings. 

It is because their strange, yet breathtaking beauty, "The Petrified Forest" and 'Painted desert' are counted among the Natural wonders.