Whale Bone Cave

Field	Detail
Surveys	Survey (gif), Survey (pdf) (2.2 Meg)
Dimensions	Length: 37 m; Box: Length 37 m, Width 7 m, Height 8 m
Rock	Table Mountain Sandstone

The entrance to Whale Bone Cave is a corner of a small, square coastal cove. A small headland protrudes from the coastline, and a narrow finger of rock runs between the cove and the headland. The gap between the finger and the headland forms a narrow channel, which leads to the entrance of Whale Bone Cave. The cave entrance is about 4 m wide and 5 m high.

Like most of the other caves along this stretch of coast, Whale Bone Cave formed along a joint in the Table Mountain Sandstone cliffs. The thin layer of limestone is visible above the entrance of this cave. A thin curtain of well-weathered calcite has formed over the entrance of the cave, which gives the impression that the top of the cave is a narrow crack. Once inside the cave, however, the cave passage is seen to be wider than the entrance profile suggests.

The floor of the cave is mostly above the high tide mark, but not high enough to prevent flooding during high seas or very high spring tides. As most of the cave is above the normal high tide mark, there was evidence that an otter had used a ledge in the cave as a dining table on a number of occasions.

Towards the back of the cave there are a number of both black and white calcite formations. On closer examination, it appears that the white calcite formations formed and were then coated in black mud. This mud was then cemented into the surface of the formation.

The cave was named after a large chunk of bleached whalebone found in the entrance of the cave.

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