Grottoes of Minas

The emotion expressed by this geologist in face of the mysteries and beauties of the geological formations in the State of Minas Gerais is certainly the same which motivates hundreds of other scientists who study this Brazilian state. Without a doubt, it was the same emotion which drove the Dane Peter Wilhelm Lund to choose, in 1835, the small town of Lagoa Santa to spend the days of his life. His pilgrimages through the region of the Rio das Velhas, in search of animal and plant species led him to find caverns and their age-old secrets.

That foreign physician, botanist and zoologist gradually discovered a world under the ground, full of magic, novelties and, above all, beauty. According to experts who followed in the footsteps of Lund, the "father" of Brazilian paleontology (science which studies fossil animals and plants), the caverns or grottos from the State of Minas Gerais date to the pre-Cambrian period. This means that they have been developing for 600 million years. Their features, also according to the experts, are similar to formations in the deep sea.

Over 500 grottoes have already been catalogued in over 100 towns of the State of Minas Gerais. Scientific researches are still limited in relation to this fabulous world. The major grottoes are of limestone and their chambers and galleries have been formed over thousands of years by the action of water. The difficulties faced by Lund are still met today by his followers. It seems that Mother Nature wants to tell Man what geologist Frederico Ozanam realized: it can only be revealed to a certain limit.

A limit that allowed Lund to discover and study the Lapinha and Maquine Grottoes. Together with the Rei do Mato Grotto (discovered only recently), they form the tripod of what the public is allowed to become acquainted with. None of the other hundreds of grottos and caverns of Minas Gerais can be open to the public. Only scientists know them. Several are discovered by Nature plunderers, such as metallurgic industries in search of raw material to explore and commercialize. There are cases of companies who have even destroyed paleontological sites for the sake of economic activity.

Scientific and cultural groups fight for the preservation and the inventory of what they call the Grottoes Circuit. And they do all they can to follow the motto of speleology (the science that explores and studies grottoes), which says: "In a cavern nothing should be taken, but pictures; nothing should be left, but footprints; and nothing should be killed, but time".

Recently a group of scientists of the Brazilian government devoted itself to studying and cataloguing caverns in the Sete Lagoas-Lagoa Santa region. The "Inventory of Natural Cavities" of the "Companhia de Pesquisas de Recursos Minerais" - CPRM (Mineral Resources Research Company) identified, described and collected information on the topography of 218 new caverns, in an area of only 182 square kilometers. In the same region, 81 grottoes had already been catalogued. This totals 299 caverns.

These researches are part of the project called VIDA - Viabilidade Industrial e Protecao Ambiental (Industrial Viability and Environmental Protection). The Sete Lagoas-Lagoa Santa region was chosen because it is facing a period of intense social and economic development, especially in mining, and has natural and historic treasures, which include grottos and archeological and paleontological sites.

The region is located North of Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, and includes 8 towns, in an area of 1890 square kilometers. The project's major objective was to supply the local governments with information on how to use the land, indicating areas where the speleological resources are relevant or areas whose features may present risks to various social and economic initiatives.

In this project, researchers also studied the numerous kinds of birds who inhabit the vicinity of the caverns and the animals who, in some way, make use of them. Talpacoti doves, scaled doves (Scaffardella squammata), Sporophila caerulescens, the Brazilian mockingbird (Mimus saturninus), the "risadinha", the red-crested flycatcher and the violet-eared hummingbird are some of the birds which have been catalogued by the CPRM team.

Several singularities were found in the grottos explored by the scientists. In the Jaguara I grotto, for example, no trace of human presence was detected. On the other hand, organic waste, plenty of garbage and graffiti were found in the Portal grotto. In the Lapa da Caieira grotto, the scientists found cave pictures, already jeopardized by intense looting. Other grottoes, located in mining areas, have already suffered the direct effect of these activities.

The study shows, however, fantastic geological formations. The chamber of the Gruta Fina (Fine Grotto) is richly ornamented with stalactites (formations with sharp peaks coming from the ceiling) and stalagmites (formations with sharp peaks coming from the floor). The same is the case in the Gruta da Coruja (Owl's Grotto). In the Gruta das Conchas I (Shells' Grotto I) paleontological remains (intrusted bones and pieces of bones) were found. In the Gruta do Tombo scientists claim to have found surfaces covered with faceted calcite crystals, which formed a beautiful sparkling star-like effect.

Beauty. This is the word that comes to the mind of all those who visit the three grottoes open to the public in Minas Gerais: Lapinha, Maquiné and Rei do Mato. The Lapinha grotto was the first one discovered by Lund and is located in the town of Lagoa Santa, where the Danish scientist lived until the year 1880. When he discovered Lapinha he declared: "Never have my eyes seen anything as beautiful in the domains of Nature or of Art". The material collected by Lund was sent to King Christian VIII of Denmark and can be seen in the Copenhagen Museum.

It is believed that the Lapinha was formed around 900 million years ago. Important fossils were found there, such as the skull of the Lagoa Santa Man, who, it is believed, lived in the region 10,000 years ago. Fossils of pre-historic animals, such as the sabre-tooth tiger and the giant armadillo were also found.

Five hundred and eleven meters long and 40 meters deep, the Lapinha grotto has 16 fantastic chambers. In the Cathedral Chamber one can see images in the shape of saints, pulpits and niches. Besides this one, one can see the Pyramids' Chamber and the Bride's gallery, with formations similar to a bride's veil and a wedding cake. Other formations resemble intensely bright waterfalls.

The Maquiné Grotto was the second one discovered by Lund. It is located in the town of Codisburgo, where the writer Joao Guimaraes Rosa was born, 130 kilometers from Belo Horizonte. It is 650 meters long, of which 440 are open to the public. This remarkable grotto is divided into several chambers. The stalactites have the shape of animals and of the atom bomb mushroom. The Fairies' Gallery is special in its fragility. There, sparkling crystals form tassels, garlands and chandeliers. The Maquine Grotto is the largest one ever found in Minas Gerais. Inside it, rocks, human bones and remains of pre-historic animals were also found.

The most recent grotto is the Rei do Mato grotto, which was open to the public only in 1989. It is located in the town of Sete Lagoas, 62 kilometers from Belo Horizonte. It is 998 meters long, of which only 220, divided into three chambers are open to the public. It has stalactites, stalagmites and stone cascades with a crystal-like sparkle. The Rei do Mato grotto still is what is known as a "live" grotto for it is still being formed by the action of water.

In one of the chambers there is a hanging lake called the "Poco dos Desejos" ("Wishing Well"). The Rarities' Chamber has this name because identical parallel columns are found in it. They are made of calcite crystals, have a diameter of 30 centimeters and are over 20 meters tall. Similar formations have only been found in the Altamira grotto in Spain.

The Rei do Mato (King of the woods) grotto received this name because it is believed that a fugitive, who received food from the townspeople in exchange for medicinal herbs that he prepared, lived there. He was called "Rei do Mato". His shelter was the "Grutinha" (small grotto), which is close to the entrance of the Rei do Mato Grotto. On the inside, there are 4 to 6 thousand year old cave paintings representing hunting and fishing scenes and a fertility ritual. A replica of the skeleton of the Xenorrinoterium bahiense, a strange animal who lived in the region over 10 thousand years ago, was assembled inside the grotto.

The three grottoes open to the public in Minas Gerais have an infrastructure for snacks, convenient transportation and guides who escort visitors. Visiting is carried out through stairs and corridors and the light is artificial.

The kind of interest that leads one to a grotto of Minas Gerais, whether it is touristic or scientific curiosity, does not matter. The eyes will always find a beautiful, mysterious, fantastic and magical world.