CLOSE TO NATURE
THE FORMATION OF LIMESTONE CAVES IN KINTA VALLEY
The geological history of rocks forming in the Kinta Valley holds a legendary tale revealed by the superficial alluvium and detritus, the original underlying sediments... the igneous intrusions, began million of years ago.
Long, long time ago earth’s crust buckled and folded. From then on, the process of rocks and mountain building began. The upheaval of mountains caused the temporary obstruction of rivers that once flowed exhaustingly from the surrounding seas. Then, on the slopes of young mountains, where new rivers formed as the tropical sea rose and precipitated. Continuously, the mountains were rising and the gradient became steeper. These rivers cut deeper and deeper into the terrain.
Tasek Chermin
The continual crunching of the two plates, augmented by phases of crustal uplifting, created gate new mountain ranges. Once again the rivers’ courses were interrupted. If the forces of erosion eventually prevailed, long valleys were formed or otherwise, lakes resulted. During the time of this formation, warm seas abundant with marine life filled the surrounding valley. In this conditions limestone of great thickness was laid down and it is these rocks that form most of the present day Kinta Valley floor. The colossal outcome was the formation of major mountain systems running north-west by south-east, outlining the districts and borders throughout Ipoh.
Like most limestone caves, Kinta Limestones grew from carbonic acid, a corrosive liquid formed by rainwater and carbon dioxide. Over thousands of years, carbonic acid eats away at limestone, a type of rock formed from the skeletons and shell of tiny creatures.
The dissolved limestone trickled down drop by drop on the cave floors that later on took shape of irregular stalagmites. Simultaneously, some of the water droppings from the roof solidify to form stalactites. Over a period of time, these calcium deposits (stalagmites and stalactites) grew upwards and downwards respectively, where at some point it touches each other to form different parts of the caves. While some may have developed weird shapes, others have formed into fantastic rocks sculptures, stone structures and gigantic cliffs which have acquired a religious significance over a period of time.
Close to the district of Chemor, north of Ipoh, the discovery of fossil remains has shown that some of the rocks there are as old as Ordovician (500 million years) to Silurian (400 million years). There was then a break in geological record between these rocks and sedimentary rocks subsequently laid down in Carboniferous to Permian times (350-225 million years ago).
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