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King's Cave (Scottish Gaelic: Uamh an Rìgh) is the largest of a series of seafront caves north of Blackwaterfoot on the Isle of Arran in Scotland. [1] The caves were formed around 10,000 to 6,000 years ago during an ice age when the weight of an advancing glacier forced the land downward, so the sea was higher relative to the location of the cave, with high tide around 4 metres (13 ft) up ...
The ice formations in the cave were formed by thawing snow which drained into the cave and froze during winter. [4] Since the entrance to the caves is open year-round, chilly winter winds blow into the cave and freeze the snow inside. In summer, a cold wind from inside the cave blows toward the entrance and prevents the formations from melting.
They usually had a drain to take away the melt-water. It is recorded that the idea for ice houses was brought to Britain by travellers who had seen similar arrangements in Italy, where peasants collected ice from the mountains and used it to keep food fresh inside caves. [8] Ice houses were also known as ice wells, ice pits or ice mounds.
These caves, often vibrant blue in color, are temporary formations that shift and change each year due to melting and freezing cycles. Image credits: Davide Cantelli #27 Grand Canyon
Andrew Fountain believed the melting of the glacier is a sign that it was dying and in 5 to 10 years the caves would be entirely gone. [2] In 2015 it was observed that a major portion of Snow Dragon had collapsed. [11] The collapse of the caves continued with the majority of the caves being reported as entirely gone in 2016. [12]
Strong winds tend to push ice higher and higher as ice piles build to five, ten, even 20 feet or more. Waves then carve out spectacular crevices and the freezing spray creates icicle-like formations.