World of Pots: Journey to the underground world

While we were in Texas in 2010, we made an exciting day-trip to New Mexico where we embarked on a journey to the underground world. We visited the Carlsbad Caverns National Park and ventured over 1000 feet below the surface of the earth.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park sits in a bed of limestone above a layer of groundwater; below the groundwater are petroleum reserves. Millions of years ago, hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) began to seep upwards from the petroleum into the water table. The combination of hydrogen sulfide and oxygen from the water formed sulphuric acid. The sulphuric acid then continued upward, aggressively dissolving the limestone deposits to form caverns. Gypsum's presence within the cave is a confirmation of this process's occurrence, as it is a byproduct of the reaction between sulphuric acid and limestone. Once the acid bath drained from the chamber, cave formations were able to grow within the cavern. Erosion processes occurring above ground created the natural entrance to the Carlsbad Caverns within the last million years. Exposure to the surface has allowed for the influx of air into the cavern. Rainwater and snowmelt percolating downward into the ground pick up carbon dioxide; once this water reaches a cavern ceiling, it precipitates and evaporates leaving behind a small mineral deposit. Growths from the roof downward formed through this process are known as stalactites. Additionally, water on the floor of the caverns can contain carbonic acid and generate mineral deposits by evaporation. Growths from the floor upward through this process are known as stalagmites.

Our visit to Carlsbad Caverns began in the Chihuahuan Desert of the Guadalupe Mountain in New Mexico. But beyond the familiar rugged mountains and broad plains of desert world, we discovered another world. Away from sunlight, away from the flowering cactus, away from the songs of the desert birds and the howl of coyote, we found the celebrated underground world of Carlsbad Caverns. This is an incomparable realm of gigantic subterranean chambers, fantastic cave formations and extraordinary features. We were like the first adventurers entering the Caverns, we had no idea what to expect as we walked, crawled, and climbed down into the darkness. This made our journey and experience of exploring the underground world every bit as exciting as those early adventurers. Of course, many of the wonders of Carlsbad Caverns are today well known and all the trails are paved and well lit and quite accessible.

Rugged Mountains

Chihuahuan Desert

As we had time on our side, we took the Natural Entrance Route. This was a self-guided tour which was a one mile journey that followed the traditional explorers' route, entering the cavern through the large historic natural entrance. The Natural Entrance Route descends over 750 feet into the earth following steep and narrow trails through a tall and spacious trunk passage called the Main Corridor. Highlights along this route include Bat Cave, Devil's Spring, Green Lake Overlook, and the Boneyard, a complex maze of highly dissolved limestone rock reminiscent of Swiss cheese. There is also the Iceberg Rock, a single 200000-ton boulder that fell from the cave ceiling thousands of years ago. This route culminates in the lunchroom and underground rest area near the elevators and the Big Room Route starting point. Big Room is a huge chamber 8.2 acre big 755 feet below surface where visitors can also descend directly taking the elevators from the Visitor Centre.

Natural Entrance of Carlsbad Caverns

For visitors who descend directly to the Big Room from Visitor Centre, they take the Big Room Route which again is a mile, self-guided, underground stroll around the perimeter of the largest room in the cave. Taking approximately 1 hour, this circular route passes many large and famous features such as Bottomless Pit, Giant Dome, Rock of Ages and Painted Grotto.

Entering the cave

Over 1000 years ago American Indians ventured into the entrance of Carlsbad Caverns, leaving behind mysterious drawings on cave walls near the natural entrance. In the 1800s settlers discovered the cavern, drawn to it by the spectacle of hundreds of thousands of bats rising up out of the natural entrance in the evening. Some stayed on to mine the huge deposits of bat guano in the cave to sell it as a natural fertiliser. A cowboy name Jim White became fascinated by the cave and spent hours exploring it. White as eager to show the natural wonders of this unique place to others but few believed his improbable tales of a huge underground wilderness full of unusual formations. He then took photographs to convince skeptics that Carlsbad Cavern was everything it was said to be. Carlsbad Cavern was proclaimed a national monument.

Spectacular View

Inside Carlsbad Caverns

White, who continued cave explorations for most of his life, became its first chief ranger. In 1930 Congress of the United States created Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Today, Carlsbad Caverns become one of the world's most celebrated cave systems and was designated a World Heritage Site in 1995.