| | |
| ~1744 | tunnel created. |
| 1829 | tunnel closed and forgotten. |
| 1911 | rediscovered by two citizens of Erzenhausener. |
The dripstone in the mine were about 20cm long and have diameters between 1cm
and 2cm.
This is a growth at least 10 times as fast as in natural caves.
The speed is obviously a result of a different chemical reaction. most likely
the speleothems are
diadochite.
The abandoned mine near Erzenhausen was dug almost 300 years ago in the search
for valuable ores.
But the was never a valuable ore found and mined.
After the closure of the mine it was soon forgotten.
It was rediscovered in 1911 by two residents of Erzenhausen, who tried to frame
a spring.
They discovered that the water came out of the entrance of a walled tunnel.
During the time the tunnel had been left alone huge speleothems formed, and so
the called it dripstone cave, although it was not a natural cave.
The tunnel was developed and opened to the public, and soon it became a popular
tourist destination.
Unfortunately all the dripstones have been destroyed during the years, only
small remains are left.
But at the rear end there are some remains, which continue to grow and may reach
the old length in another 100 years.
)
