Geological and Human History
'Porth yr Ogof' means 'the mouth of the cave' in Welsh, most notably because of the gaping maw that is the Main Entrance. The cave lies on the Afon Mellte and is located in a comparatively narrow band of carboniferous limestone. The river bed is dry from Ystradfellte onwards, the river only rising to the surface again just before the cave.
The cave has been known to humans for many centuries, as it is not easily overlooked once one is in the valley, but because of the passageway's susceptibility to severe flooding there has been no evidence found of any prehistoric human habitation. The cave and its many visible fossils was mentioned in the writings of Edward Lhuyd, and in the 19th century it was mentioned again by the first pioneers of caving.
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