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Menshori to Okinoerabu Island!
Okino Elabujima
Okinoerabu Island is an island with a raised coral reef located 552 km south of Kagoshima City and approximately 60 km north of Okinawa Main Island. Blessed with a warm climate with an average annual temperature of 22 degrees Celsius, subtropical flowers bloom throughout the year, and the cultivation of lilies and spray chrysanthemums is popular.
There are 200 to 300 large limestone caves underground, including Shoryu Cave, earning it the nickname ``Island of Flowers and Limestone Caves.''
Sea turtles can be seen throughout the year, and humpback whales come to winter between January and February. The clear blue sea and sky, the diverse flora and fauna, and the simple and warm humanity will create unforgettable memories of your trip.
Elabu lily
(Kasaishi Seaside Park)
Cape Tamina
humpback whale
(Courtesy of China Town Library)
Okinoerabu Island limestone cave
Okinoerabu Island is an island with a raised coral reef, and the ground is made of Ryukyu limestone. This Ryukyu limestone has many gaps, and when rainwater containing carbon dioxide enters the gaps, the rock melts and cavities are created. In this way, limestone caves are created over tens of thousands of years.
The limestone in which the limestone caves from Kyushu to Hokkaido are located is from the Paleozoic to Mesozoic era (400 million to 200 million years ago), and the representative limestone caves are Ryusendo Cave (Iwate Prefecture), Abukuma Cave (Fukushima Prefecture), and Akiyoshi Cave (Yamaguchi Prefecture). , Ryugado Cave (Kochi Prefecture), Kyusendo Cave (Kumamoto Prefecture), etc.
However, the limestone caves on the southern islands (Ryukyu Arc) where Shoryu Cave is located are very young limestone (1 million years ago - present), and Gyokusen Cave (main island, Okinawa Prefecture) and Ryugujo Cave (Ishigaki Island, Okinawa Prefecture) are representative examples. is.
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