Cave Spelunking - Cave Weather

Cave Weather
By:  Cave Spelunking  

You probably wouldn't think of a cave as having "weather."  It obviously isn't going to rain inside a cave, is it?  Seasonal changes aren't going to affect the temperature, are they?  Caves don't have seasonal changes like the sunlit world that we live in, do they?  Not exactly, but that doesn't mean that caves don't have weather. Caves do have weather.

Weather changes don't occur nearly as quickly in the dark, dank underground world of a cave, but changes do occur.  The cycles are slower — a lot slower than they are up here on the surface of the earth.

All caves don't have identical weather patterns.  As a matter of fact, each cave has its own completely unique weather patterns.

The temperature inside a cave can vary slightly according to the movement of air near the mouth of the cave.  The temperature of the water entering the cave can also affect the air temperature in the cave.  The location of the cave (whether it is in a mountainous region or in a valley) also affects the air temperature inside the cave.
There is even a wind chill factor deep underground in a cave.  The difference in the temperature between the entrance temperature and the temperature of the inner passageways causes a kind of "chimney effect" and creates wind.

This chimney effect can also cause "rain" inside a cave.  It won't be rain as we know it here on the surface, of course, but there will still be water falling in drops when the chimney effect changes the dew point inside the cave.
Changes in the barometric pressure can also affect the weather in a cave.  Air movement, humidity levels, and dew points are all affected by barometric pressure, and an experienced spelunker can discern weather changes on the surface even if he's hundreds of feet below the surface.

Rock On & Keep Spelunking...
Cave Spelunking.

The Old Woman In The Cave

The Old Woman In The Cave
By:  Cave Spelunking


According to Sioux legend, as told by Chief Lost Feather, there is a secret and mysterious cave that is located on the West Mountain (near Hot Springs, Arkansas).  There's an old woman and a dog that have been living in this cave for many generations.

The old woman never grows any older.  The dog never ages, either.  They both stay exactly the same, and they have since anybody can remember.

The old woman spends her days weaving a rug.  She is using pine needles that she has collected in the nearby pine forest.  The old woman has been weaving now for many centuries, and yet the rug never gets any bigger. The dog watches his mistress weave through narrow slits in his eyes as he appears to just nap in the corner.

Occasionally the old woman puts the rug down and leaves it while she goes to stir the pot of soup that she has cooking on a fire at the mouth of the cave.  The soup has probably been cooking for several centuries, as well.  The minute the old woman leaves, the dog rises slowly and sneaks over to the rug.  He grabs the rug and shakes it as hard as he can until part of the rug unravels.

The old woman returns after stirring the pot of soup. She picks up the rug and patiently begins to restore the damage.  But, the soup must be stirred.  So,she must put the rug down again and again to go and stir the soup.  Each time the old woman leaves, the dog unravels part of the rug.

So, through the centuries, the old woman and the dog have continued the cycle of weaving, unraveling, and reweaving.  The rug never gets any bigger.

This is, of course, a good thing according to Chief Lost Feather — because should the rug ever be completed, the world, as we know it, would end...

Rock On & Keep Spelunking...
Cave Spelunking.

Alf Bolin's Outlaw Loot

Alf Bolin's Outlaw Loot
By: Cave Spelunking

The treasure isn't buried IN the cave, but it's buried near the cave using the cave entrance as a landmark. At least that's what legend tells us. Alf Bolin was an outlaw who terrorized Missouri and Arkansas in the 1800s. He built a fortune in stolen gold and silver over the years. Obviously, Alf couldn't just deposit his ill-gotten fortune in a bank, so he buried it.

Alf Bolin was a heartless outlaw, and he terrorized the people of Missouri and Arkansas. When he was tricked and killed by a Union soldier masquerading as a sick Confederate soldier, his head was cut off and placed on a pole, and all of Missouri and Arkansas rejoiced. Alf Bolin was only 21 years old when he was killed.

Caves were often used by outlaws in those days as hideouts and as safe resting places. Caves are easily guarded, so they make the perfect place for those who don't want to be found.

Many years ago, a man claiming that he had been told by a member or Bolin's gang where the treasure was hidden, came to a farm in Taney County, Missouri, and talked the farmer into letting him look for the treasure with a promise of dividing the loot when it was found. He didn't find the treasure, and nobody else has either over the years. Still, the rumor persists that there IS treasure and it IS buried near the mouth of the cave on Fox Creek.

Outlaws aren't known for being the most truthful of souls, however. The facts are: Alf Bolin DID steal a lot of gold and silver. He didn't have it with him when he was killed. He was known to hide out in or near the cave on Fox Creek. It stands to reason that the treasure is still buried there waiting to be found.

Rock On & Keep Spelunking...
Cave Spelunking.

Carlsbad Caverns

Carlsbad Caverns
By: Cave Spelunking

Carlsbad Caverns are part of the Carlsbad Caverns National Park in Southwestern New Mexico, in the Guadalupe Mountains. Carlsbad Caverns is one of the best-known caves in the world. The show cave can be visited by the general public. You can walk down or take an elevator down to the Underground Lunchroom. The Underground Lunchroom is 750 feet underground and it is strictly a tourist attraction.

Walking or riding an elevator down 750 feet into the earth is an experience like no other, and it's as close as most visitors will ever get to spelunking or caving. Besides the Underground Lunchroom, there are 20 other named rooms in Carlsbad Caverns.

The named rooms in Carlsbad Caverns are the Balloon Ballroom, Bat Cave, Bell Cord Room, Bifrost Room, Big Room or The Hall of the Giants, Chocolate High, Green Lake Room, Guadalupe Room, Hall of the White Giant, King's Palace, Lake of the Clouds, Left Hand Tunnel, Mystery Room, New Mexico Room, New Section, Papoose Room, Queen's Chamber, Spirit World, Talcum Passage, and The Rookery. Those names sound so fascinating, and they are, but not nearly so fascinating as the rooms themselves.

Lechuguilla Cave was discovered in Carlsbad Caverns National Park in 1986. Lechuguilla Cave is not open to the public. It's been mapped to a depth of 489 meters, and that makes it the deepest limestone cave in the United States. The entrance is kept hidden to preserve the cave in its most undisturbed state so that researchers can uncover the mysteries hidden there.

Carlsbad Caverns is home to 16 different varieties of bats. There's a big population of Mexican Free-tailed Bats. Seeing the bats take flight at dusk is one of the attractions at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

Rock On & Keep Spelunking...
Cave Spelunking.

How Caves Are Formed

How Caves Are Formed

By: Cave Spelunking

All solution caves are formed in basically the same way. While wind can have some effect on cave formation, wind isn't really responsible for making the caves themselves. Caves are formed by water.

The purest of moving water is a powerful force when the water picks up eroding chemicals along the way, it becomes an even more powerful force. Caves are carved out of rock by water.

Let's talk about the caves that are formed in the limestone layers of the earth, since they are the most common. Limestone is a porous rock that will dissolve in water that's been enriched with carbonic acid. So here's what happens.

Over many, many, many centuries, rain falls and mixes with plant material, where it picks up carbon dioxide. Water and carbon dioxide combine to form carbonic acid. The water, now containing carbonic acid, trickles down through the earth to the water table. The water table is sometimes called "groundwater."

Now, the groundwater also contains carbonic acid. The groundwater finds tiny pores and cracks in the limestone layer and slowly begins to dissolve the limestone. The cracks get bigger and bigger and become chambers.

Time marches on. Eons pass, and this erosion process continues. Larger and larger crevices and passages are formed for the water to flow through.

Chambers and passageways are formed in all shapes and sizes. Some are small and narrow, but others can be very low and wide, or they can be high and narrow. There are passages and chambers that are large enough to drive an 18-wheeler through, and there are chambers big enough to fit an entire NFL football stadium, and then there are chambers and passageways that aren't large enough for a child to crawl through.

Caves are all completely unique. There are no two exactly alike anywhere on Earth.

Rock On & Keep Spelunking...

Cave Spelunking.

Mammoth Cave

Mammoth Cave
By: Cave Spelunking

Mammoth Cave is included in the Mammoth Cave National Park in central Kentucky. Mammoth Cave is the longest known cave system in the world. Mammoth Cave tours have been conducted for the public since 1816, but Mammoth Cave is a treasure trove of information about prehistoric life on our planet.

Prehistoric people left evidence of their existence in Mammoth Cave over many, many centuries. And scientists are still probing for more answers to their questions about prehistoric life.

According to a somewhat disputed legend, the first European to discover Mammoth Cave was John Houchin, in 1797. It's said that while he was hunting, Houchin chased a wounded bear to the cave's large entrance opening near the Green River.

Evidence of humans having been in Mammoth Cave spans at least 6,000 years, and could be much longer. There have been human early American Indian remains found in the cave. There's also evidence of intentional burial of human remains that date back well before Columbus discovered America.

Interestingly, in 1935 the remains of an American Indian adult male were discovered under a boulder. He was apparently the victim of a mining accident. The boulder had shifted and settled onto his skeleton. The remains of the ancient accident victim were named "Lost John" and exhibited to the public until the 1970s.

The remains of "Lost John" were buried in a secret location in Mammoth Cave for the purpose of preservation. Political sensitivities to the public display of Native American remains probably had more to do with the burial of the remains, however, than did preservation concerns.

Today there are several federal and state laws that protect the ancient artifacts and human remains that are still in Mammoth Cave. Even slightly moving an artifact from the position in which it is found destroys all of its research value, so explorers are training to document, not touch.

Rock On & Keep Spelunking...
Cave Spelunking.

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The National Speleological Society

The National Speleological Society
By: Cave Spelunking

The following statement is on the National Speleological Society ( NSS ) website:

"The National Speleological Society believes: that caves have unique scientific, recreational, and scenic values; that these values are endangered by both carelessness and intentional vandalism; that these values, once gone, cannot be recovered; and that the responsibility for protecting caves must be assumed by those who study and enjoy them."

Those of us who are seriously interested in caves and their fragile ecosystems couldn't agree more. Caves are fascinating. Going caving is one of the fastest-growing pastimes in America today. As more and more people go into caves, more and more items are removed from them and left in them. The National Speleological Society motto and the motto of all responsible cavers is:

• Take nothing but pictures.
• Leave nothing but footprints.
• Kill nothing but time.
  

The ecosystems of caves have formed over millions and millions of years. The rock formations are breathtaking. The life in the depths of caves is like nothing that's ever been seen on the surface. Protecting this environment is of the utmost importance.

The National Speleological Society is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1941. It was originally located in Washington, D.C., but the headquarters are now in Huntsville, Alabama.

The National Speleological Society is divided into regions. Within the regional divisions, there are "grottos." Grottos are local-level divisions of the National Speleological Society that are responsible for local-level caving issues and conservation-related business.

The National Speleological Society maintains an excellent website where caving information is available free. Brochures can be ordered, and there is contact information as well.

The National Speleological Society is involved in all levels of caving and membership is open to weekend spelunkers, advanced and professional cavers and speleogists.


Rock On & Keep Spelunking...
Cave Spelunking.

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