Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert Nightlife Tips by JLBG

Clamouse cave: Twin thin stalagmites

After some million years, once they will have grown enough, these thin twin stalagmites will grow into one single large column, or may be the beginning of a drapery. We will come back later to see how it looks then !

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Clamouse cave: Calcite efflorescences

Calcite efflorescences are the most delicate of all these concretions. They have been found in very few caves in the world. It seems that they form when calcite, CaCO3 is not alone but contain as small percentage of Na2CO3 and of (NH4)2CO3. There are so delicate that they are protected by a glass.

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Clamouse cave: The jellyfish's head (hard one !)

After the elephant, let us dive into the Ocean to find a large jellyfish's head. Its living model, 99% of water, is soft as jelly and stings as hell. Its Clamouse copy is 99% calcite, hard as stone and does not sting !

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Clamouse cave: Draperies and columns

Draperies and columns can sometimes have really odd shapes. Here, I can see a decayed elephant head. On the left, the trunk. On the right, the large ears of the Africa elephant, completely tear to strips that hang loose !

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Clamouse cave: Natural chandelier hanging

In the ''Galerie des glaces'' of the Château de Versailles they have no such chandeliers. These don't need any dusting out ! That makes me think of a very special "natural" chandelier that you can visit at Sedlec ! Thank you Michael !

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Clamouse cave: The elephant's teeth

That cannot be an elephant tooth : it is too large for an elephant ! Could it be a Tyranisaurus rex tooth ? No, as it is not looking as a carnivorous mandible. Then may be a huge herbivorous dinosaurus that has eaten a lot of carrots ! May be !

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Clamouse cave: Pastry shop or nightmare ?

Don't you feel it looks like a pastry shop ? Or, I should better say, as a pastry cook's nightmare with orange chocolate trickling from everywhere, impossible to master, invading every available space in his laboratory !

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Clamouse cave: Closup on the calcite crystals

Closup on the calcite crystals. These calcite crystals are so delicate that they have to be protected from the visitors by glass. Spath of Iceland is another of calcite crystals. It is the purest form of calcite and its crystals are as transparent as glass. Spath of Iceland (or Doppelspath) have allowed to discover the phenomenon of birefringence, very important in optics.

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Clamouse cave: Amazing stalactites with crystallizations

These amazing stalactites have calcite crystallizations. Calcite is Calcium carbonate and is the component of limestone, chalk and marble. It crystallize in the rhomboedric system but can give way to various shapes.

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Clamouse cave: Caution, fragile

Caution, fragile. These crystals are very fragile. In caves that have been visited from a long time, they have been damaged or stolen along the years. As Clamouse is a ''new'' (visit speaking) cave, they have been preserved.

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