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 | U.S. Caves |
| By Sheila Resari |
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| Into the Volcano |
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 | Ape Cave, Washington |
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Tunnel vision
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Unlike caves carved by the slow passage of water over rock, the Ape Cave is a lava tube — created by an eruption of Mount St. Helens about 1,900 years ago. During a volcanic eruption, channels of smooth-flowing, pahoehoe lava may crust over to form lava tubes. When the eruption ends or the lava is diverted elsewhere, the molten rock drains and leaves partially empty conduits beneath the ground; lava can also erode downward, leaving empty space above the flow.
The largest contiguous lava tube in the Western Hemisphere, Ape Cave's two-and-a-half mile tunnel wasn't explored until 1946, when a local Boy Scout troop — the St. Helens Apes, for whom the cave is named — discovered it. During the cave's creation, hot gases trapped in the tube remelted the walls and ceiling to form lava stalactites, or"lava-sicles." One cooled ball of lava floated down the tube's flow until it got stuck between ledges; the lava drained and left it perched ten feet overhead. During a later eruption, mudflow deposited sandy, volcanic debris in the tunnel; water dripping into the cave has swept away sediment and left behind "sand castles."
Just the Facts
Open: Weather permitting; guided tours during the summer
Cave temperature: 42: Fahrenheit year-round
Location: Southwest Washington
For more information: Call Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument at (360) 274-2100 |
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How Low Can You Go? |
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| Moaning Cavern, California |
Squeeze play
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Moaning Cavern was discovered and abandoned in approximately 1851 by disappointed gold miners. Rediscovered in 1919, legend has it that Moaning Cavern's first tourists were lowered into the huge chamber — large enough to hold the Statue of Liberty — by ore buckets, with just candles or whale-oil lamps to light their way. Moaning Cavern was named for the sound created by drops of water falling into flowstone formations' bottle-shape holes. The resultant drumming sound echoes throughout the cavern and sounded like a distant moaning to early explorers.
For a taste of real spelunking, the Wild Cavern Adventure Trip takes visitors on a three-hour tour of undeveloped areas of the cave — no lights, stairs, or walkways. Cavers must climb, crawl, and rappel up steep walls, through tight passageways, and down deep holes, equipped with miner's helmets to light the way.
Just the Facts
Open: All year
Cave temperature: 61: Fahrenheit year-round
Location: Central California, east of San Francisco
For more information: Call Sierra Nevada Recreation Corp at (209) 736-2708 or visit www.caverntours.com |
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From the Devil's Den to a Bottomless Pit |
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| Carlsbad Cavern, New Mexico |
They might be giants
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Visitors may enter and exit Carlsbad Cavern's 14-acre Big Room, one of the world's largest underground chambers, via high-speed elevators, or go for the"traditional explorer's route" — 750 feet down a steep and winding path. The self-guided Big Room Route passes by amazing rock formations created by the interaction of rain, carbon dioxide, and limestone — such as the Bottomless Pit, the Devil's Den, and the Swiss cheeselike Boneyard.
Over 30 miles long and 1,037 feet deep, the birth of Carlsbad Cavern itself began 250 million years ago. From the marine-life remains of an ancient inland sea came a reef. Buried under mineral deposits when the seawater evaporated, subsequent uplift and erosion brought the reef to the surface once more. Finally, rainwater trickling down through cracks and gases floating up from below slowly dissolved the soft limestone into the huge chambers at which we marvel today.
Just the Facts
Open: All year
Cave temperature: 56: Fahrenheit year-round
Location: Southeast New Mexico
Special Feature: From early spring to October, thousands of bats exit the cavern for their nightly insect feast. Take in the mass exodus from the outdoor amphitheater at the natural entrance.
For more information: Call Carlsbad Caverns National Park at (505) 785-2232, or visit www.carlsbad.caverns.national-park.com |
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from Away.com
