65 million years B.C. - Belobaka Caves

Located 11km off the town of Mahajanga, the Belobaka Grottoes are the result of a karst formation from the secondary era (about 65 million years ago). Consisting of seven caves, they are a paradise for paleontologists.

 

Belobaka, literally "where there is a lot of tobacco", derives from "lobaka", the "tobacco" in Sakalava dialect. In the past, a huge tobacco field was planted near the village. The secondary era that created the grottoes was characterized by heavy rainfall. Over time the water dissolved and corroded the pure limestone rocks thereby shaping the caves.

 

The percolating water, when it reaches the open, deposited the particles of the limestone that it kept in dissolution to form "stalactites" and "stalagmites". In addition to the five separate caves that make up the Belobaka site, two new caves have recently been discovered. The first cave, more than 20 metres underground, is the deepest. In the depths of these caves offering plates were created, making them places of worship. This is a paradise for paleontologists, as 18 000 year old sub-fossils of lemurs and hippopotamuses (hippopotamus lalloumena) have been discovered in these caves and preserved in the Akiba museum. A small tour around the village of Belobaka with various lime kilns (from limestone rocks) and red clay bricks completes this day of exploration.