Marble Arch Caves

"Marble Arch Cave" redirects here. For the cave on Gibraltar, see Marble Arch Cave, Gibraltar.

Marble Arch Caves
Uaimheanna an hÁirse Marmair[1]
Gour pool, or rimstone, calcite formations.
"The Castle" gour pool formations in the Marble Arch Caves show cave.
Map showing the location of Marble Arch Caves
Map showing the location of Marble Arch Caves
Locationnear Florencecourt, County Fermanagh
Coordinates54°15′30.34″N 7°48′51.53″W / 54.2584278°N 7.8143139°W / 54.2584278; -7.8143139
Depth94 m
Length11.5 km (7.1 mi)[2]
Discovery1895
AccessShow cave; accessible beyond with permission from Marble Arch Caves centre[3]

The Marble Arch Caves are a series of natural limestone caves located near the village of Florencecourt in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The caves are named after the nearby Marble Arch, a natural limestone arch at the upstream end of Cladagh Glen under which the Cladagh River flows.[4] The caves are formed from three rivers draining off the northern slopes of Cuilcagh mountain, which combine underground to form the Cladagh. On the surface, the river emerges from the largest karst resurgence in Ireland, and one of the largest in the United Kingdom.[5] At 11.5 kilometres (7.1 mi) the Marble Arch Caves form the longest known cave system in Northern Ireland,[2] and the karst is considered to be among the finest in the British Isles.[6]

  1. ^ "Uaimheanna na hÁirse Marmair/Marble Arch Caves". logainm.ie. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b "N Ireland – Longest caves". Retrieved 17 December 2010.
  3. ^ "Cave access & cave restrictions". Speleological Union of Ireland. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  4. ^ Brodrick, Harold (1909). "The Florence Court Caves: Co. Fermanagh". Yorkshire Ramblers' Club Journal. 3 (9). Leeds: Yorkshire Ramblers' Club: 49–65. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Marlbank–Cuilcagh Mountain Region; Marble Arch Karst – Full Report". Earth Science Conservation Review. Northern Ireland Environment Agency. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  6. ^ Williams, P. W (1970). "Limestone morphology in Ireland". In Stephens, N.; Glassock, R. E (eds.). Irish Geographical Studies. Queens University of Belfast. pp. 105–124. Geomorphological knowledge of the Marble Arch Upland and indeed of all the other upland karst in this part of Ireland is exceedingly poor which is surprising since the karst is among the finest in the British Isles.[5]