Using the Geoheritage Framework to Explore the Intersection of Diverse Legacies at Grand Caverns, Virginia, US

Abstract

Grand Caverns is known to be the oldest show cave in continuous operation in the contiguous United States (US). Discovered in 1804, Grand Caverns has been offering tours, at least one per year, continuously from 1806 until now. For more than two centuries Grand Caverns, host to diverse and uncommon solution caves' speleothems such as cave shields, has served as the center of multidisciplinary research related to the understanding limestones in Virginia and has accrued historical accounts relevant to the Shenandoah Valley (nestled between the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Allegheny Mountains to the west) in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In this chapter, we explore the geological, historical, mapping, and geotourism legacies, while using the Geoheritage as a narrative framework. In addition, we discuss the intersection of historical and diverse concurrent heritages at Grand Caverns and the relevance for the understanding of national show caves and caves' development processes; and we share ongoing efforts towards the construction of a proposal to elevate the status of Grand Caverns to be part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage list. Supplementary material at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.7027515