Gruta Rei do Mato

Gruta Rei do Mato

The Gruta Rei do Mato is a cave located near Sete Lagoas in Minas Gerais, Brazil, at the border of BR 040 highway, close to the access clover to the city. From Sete Lagoas, the cave can easily be reached by bus, taxi or car. Sete Lagoas is 70 kilometres away from Belo Horizonte.

The Gruta Rei do Mato has four large chambers with numerous stalactites, stalagmites and rimstone dams. In the Room of the Rarities has are identical columns, parallel, formed by the calcium carbonate crystals of calcite. These columns are more than 20 meters of height with only 30 centimetres of diameter.

Name

Gruta Rei do Mato means "Cave of the Forest King" in Portuguese. This cave is named after a person whose nickname was "Rei do Mato" or "Forest King". According to many tourist guides, the "Rei do Mato" was the fugitive in the Gruta Rei do Mato or in a small cave next to it. According to the authors of DonaBrasil.com, he lived in a hut near the Gruta Rei do Mato [cite web|url=http://www.donabrasil.com/travel-to-brazil/holiday-destinations/gruta-rei-do-mato.html |title=Gruta Rei do Mato Cave in Sete Lagoas |work=Article on DonaBrasil.com|accessdate=11 February|accessyear=2007]

Geology

The limestone area north of Belo Horizonte is called the Sete Lagoas Formation. It is in this limestone that the Lagoa Santa Karst was developed. The area around Sete Lagoas has many caves, of which the Gruta Rei do Mato is the most famous one. In the nearby Parque da Cascata is a collapsed karst crater which can be recognised by some stalactites that are oriented horizontally as a result of the collapse.

Prehistory

In a small cave next to the Gruta Rei do Mato, 4,000 to 6,000 years old cave paintings were discovered. Also, the skeleton of "Xenorrinoterium bahiense", an extinct animal, was discovered here. Nowadays, there is a replica of this animal in the cave.

See also

* List of caves

References

External links

* [http://www.donabrasil.com/travel-to-brazil/holiday-destinations/gruta-rei-do-mato.html DonaBrasil.com on Gruta Rei do Mato]
* [http://www.showcaves.com/english/br/showcaves/ReiDoMate.html Showcaves.com on Gruta Rei do Mato]
* [http://www.viagensmaneiras.com/viagens/grutareidomatoING.htm Pictures of Gruta Rei do Mato]


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