44 THE CANGO CAVES 



the fact that in places bedding planes are distinctly seen 

 and the rock passes into felspathic grits. Moreover, in 

 the valley from which the Cango caves are entered three 

 beds of conglomerate a, quartz-felspar grit with rounded 

 boulders, pebbles of granite, mica-schist, quartzite, cry- 

 stalline limestone, and vein-quartz are seen in the 

 stream bed below the caves. 



There are many bands of limestone in the Cango 

 beds, sometimes of great thickness ; they are lenticular 

 in form, but to what extent this is due to folding has 

 not been determined. The chief limestone band is that 

 which is in contact with the sandstones of the Zwarte- 

 bergen near the south end of the Zwartberg Pass. It 

 extends for some fifteen miles eastwards, and in it are 

 the famous Cango Caves. 1 The cave, at least that part 

 known in 1897, is nearly 750 yards long, and is prob- 

 ably of still greater extent. The explored portion of 

 this cave lies in a nearly straight line. There can be no 

 doubt that the cave has been formed by the solution of 

 the limestone, aided by the breaking away of the roof 

 and sides and the removal of the debris by running 

 water. The cave has not been sufficiently explored to 

 explain its formation fully, and the level of the floor at 

 various points is not known. The floor itself is at least 

 partly made of debris cemented with calcareous tufa 

 and stalagmite. The walls and roof of the cave, in 

 those parts which have not been disfigured by the smoke 

 of candles, are very beautiful, owing to the number, 



1 For a description of the cave see G. S. Corstorphine, G. C., i., p. 34 

 a plan of the cave by H. M. Luttman Johnson accompanies the descrip- 

 tion. 



