Click the image to see a more detailed map
At the lowest level, the top of the breakdown dome of The Theatre is in a natural lava chamber at the same level as the middle entrance series. Beyond this chamber, to the east, a rough floored crawl and sharp squeeze opens into a short section of large feeder tube with a rough ropy lava floor (photo).
The western passage, running back beneath The Stage, has nice examples of lava-tidemarks (Photo) and lava-cemented rubble in the walls and ceiling (Photo). It ends in a small passage with triangular section (photo) that seems to be the edge of a sagged chamber – there is a surface depression above this.
The cave has formed by lava rising from the lowest feeder tube to build a surface mound that partly solidified, and then drained back to the lower level to leave the multi-level upper passages.
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The Theatre. Click the image to see a more detailed map |
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The large breakdown chamber at bottom of The Theatre. Taken from the "Dress Circle" looking down to "The Stage" (with ladder). Photo by Roger Taylor, RT.20000423.jpg |
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On the ladder pitch from The Stage down to the floor of the breakdown chamber. S920205.jpg |
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Lowest Level, western passage, beneath The Stage. A lava flow runs over breakdown rubble (left), and oozes between broken blocks of the ceiling (right). [10 cm scale bar] S920201.jpg and S920202.jpg |
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A lava dip (tide mark) in the lowest level. C000621jx.jpg |
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Lava bench, extending across the final western crawlway. S930202by.jpg |
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Lava stalagmite. D070278yj.jpg |
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Eastern passage. A "feeder" tube with a rough lava floor. D070255a.JPG |