ARCHIVED - Cartagena Spain, Cueva Victoria may open to the public

Cartagena Spain, The Cueva Victoria holds important fossil remains dating back 1.2 million years

On Friday 17^th , the Mayoress of Cartagena and her project team visited the Cueva Victoria in El Estrecho de san Gines, close to the shores of the Mar Menor, which contains some of the most important fossil deposits in Europe.

Some of the oldest human remains in existence came from these caves, and Palaentologists have been working in the caves for more than 25 years, uncovering vast quantities of fossil remains, including elephants, horses, hyenas, dolphins,and bird species which were not formerly thought to have lived in this area 1.2 million years ago, as well as rare human material.

The caves were formed by a geological movement nearly 3.5 million years ago, and during the 2 million years following their creation, they gradually filled with accumulated silt, washed in by the rains,  creating a unique storehouse of fossils. At around 1.2 million years ago, they were inhabited by a prehistoric species of hyena, a much larger and more powerful animal than their modern descendants, which weighed in at around 120 kilos and had astonishingly powerful jaws. Many of the bones found bear teethmarks, which show that carcasses were dragged into the caves and devoured in this spot, and the huge accumulations and volume of bones found indicate that a considerable number of hyenas lived here over a long period of time.

The caves are enormous, stretching out underground for more than 3.5 kilometres, although many of the long underground galleries are inaccessible for general viewing, and the scientific team working on the site are excited about the possibilities that still lie undiscovered all around them. Human bones from this period are indescribably rare, and the discovery of human remains in the caves sparked worldwide scientific excitement, and although there is no evidence that the caves were inhabited by humans, there still exists the possibility that more human remains may be discovered in the accumulated silt deposits.

The caves were mined extensively in the early part of the 20^th century, as their interior is rich in magnesium, a much valued and saleable item, and crawling through some of the shafts used by mineworkers was an eerie experience. Trying to imagine what life must have been like for the men who spent their lives in this darkness, literally cutting out the nodules of black magnesium with a hammer  and chisel, the weight of millions of tons of rock above their heads left a feeling of extreme gratitude for modern technology, and even the comfort of wearing a safety helmet and having a lamp. At times, when the press pack disappeared for a chat in the corner and the mayoress was left talking extensively to the team who are evaluating the project, it was nerve racking to be in the dark without a torch, surrounded by all that rock and bones..

This week a team from Germany are visiting to investigate unique deposits which formed during a period of tremendous climatic upheaval, which literally sealed the top of the caves with a layer that contains hard scientific evidence of the climatic catastrophies that befell the planet. The team form part of the university and scientific groups which arrive every summer to continue with the excavation works.

The project has been funded and supported by both Cartagena town council and the scientific world for the last 25 years, and now that much of the debris has been removed, the council are exploring the possibility of opening the caves to enable the general public to view this exciting site.

Several  of the earlier galleries would be fairly easy to prepare for public viewing, and much of the discussions were about the creation of access routes and safety issues.

The mayoress spent a considerable amount of time making sure she understood all aspects of the plan, and was visibly impressed by the volume of bones which stood out from the walls, and the processes involved in their cleaning and recovery. I chatted to students from Murcia university who were sifting through buckets of earth, matter of fact about their expertise. One of them showed me how to identify bone from debris, and it was so exciting when the little piece I triumphantly extracted from the pan turned out to be the vertebrae of a rabbit who had died nearly one and a half million years ago.

Well keep you posted as the project unfolds, and hope that soon the caves will be open for the general public to see this incredible place and the unique remains that it holds.