How Old is the Grotto?

As you just read, the Grotto most likely formed at least several hundred years ago. What people really want to know, however, is how old the fossils that line the Grotto’s walls are.

The fossils embedded in the walls surrounding the Grotto date from the Eocene epoch, approximately 30 million years ago.

To put that in perspective, 30 million years is roughly:

• 10,000 times as long as recorded human history.
• 375,000 human lifetimes.
• Twice as long as Strom Thurmond served in the United States Senate.

No matter how you cut it, that’s a very long time.

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