Carlsbad+Caverns

CARLSBAD CAVERNS Bat flight programs resumed May 24th
 * Helen and Anna W. **

Introduction

** Carlsbad Caverns, located in the Guadalupe Mountains in New Mexico, are a series of 117 caves beneath the Chihuahuan Desert and Guadalupe Mountains 2. In the Guadalupe mountains, elevations range from 1095 meters to 1987 meters 2. Important and highlighted features in the Carlsbad Caverns are the Bottomless Pit, the Giant Dome, the Rock of Ages, and the Painted Grotto 2. Many visitors enjoy the Big Room self-guided tour, a one mile long walk around the perimeter of the main cave 2. If you are interested in further exploration of the caves, you might be interested in the Natural Entrance self-guided tour, a steeper 1.25 mile long tour following the traditional explorer's route 2. **

Geologic Setting

History
The Guadulupe Mountains, where the Carlsbad Caves are found, was originally a reef from the Permian age 2. The fossils that are found here show the coastline of a shallow inland sea, and that the reef was built mostly of algae and sponges 2. Eventually, the coastline became a horse shoe shaped layer of limestone rock 2. Limestone is a sedimentary rock that is formed from the remains of dead sea organisms and the mineral calcite 9. As well, it is able to be dissolved by water, which allows for the creation of many erosional and depositional features 9. Faults and stresses in the earth's crust has uplifted the reef sediment, and natural erosion processes such as wind and water have eroded away younger layers of rock, once again revealing the ancient reef 2.

The limestone formation of the Guadalupe mountains allows caverns to be formed within them. A cavern is a chamber that is naturally formed, located underground 9. Most caverns are formed when a carbonic acidic solution such as rainwater with carbonic acid dissolves the limestone underground, by working its way into cracks and gaps in the rock widening them and leaving a hollow space 9. This erosion usually occurs at or below the water table, as this is where the ground is saturated with water. The rain water and material often creates streams inside the cavern which is one way the water makes its way to the ocean, where all of it will eventually runs off to 9.

The Carlsbad Caverns however, were formed in a slightly different way 2. There is no evidence that they were dissolved by carbonic acid, and there is no running water nearby, instead it is believed that sulfuric acid created these unique caverns 2. Hydrogen sulfide from nearby oil deposits combined with oxygen from the water table underground, creating sulfuric acid 2. This acid dissolved cracks and faults in the rock at the level of the water table, leaving hollow caverns 2. As the Guadulupe Mountains slowly uplifted, the water table dropped, which drained the acid solution. This left the large and unique caverns empty, not always with an opening to the above ground 2.

Features
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 * Cave Ceiling[[image:http://www.nps.gov/cave/photosmultimedia/upload/br_chinese_theater_jones.jpg width="200" height="308" align="right" caption="Chinese Theatre in the Big Room Tour "]]
 * Stalactites: These form when water drips from cracks in the ceiling, and as it comes in contact with the cave's air, dissolved carbon dioxide escapes and allows for the dissolved calcite to be deposited 9 . This calcite forms an icicle like stone feature on the cavern's ceiling 9 . They can either be hollow, or become plugged then create a more cone shaped feature 9.
 * Soda Straws: Calcite is deposited in a circle around droplets of water, and they leave a trail of calcite as they fall 9 . This calcite creates a hollow tube, made of limestone as it travels 9.
 * Draperies or Curtains: These form when on inclined ceilings, and water drips along the slope, and calcite is deposited 11 . A thin sheet of calcite grows downward, creating a drapery 11.
 * Ribbons: Ribbons are a type of helictite 7 . The formation of these features are still not known, but theories on formation include capillary forces and wind 3,7 . Capillary forces explain that helictites have central straws that are hollow, which allow water to travel along them 3,7 . As well, wind could affect the direction of the growth of the features 3,7.
 * Cave Floor
 * Stalagmites: Formed when the water providing calcite to form ceiling features such as stalactites falls from the ceiling to the floor 9 . As it grows it travels towards the ceiling from the ground, without a central tube 9 . These features are generally bigger and have more rounded ends than stalactites 9.
 * Flowstone: Formed similarly to draperies or curtains, by water flowing along the cave floor and depositing calcite in sheets 5 . These sheets build up to create a thicker formation 5.
 * Rimstone Dams: These are vertical walls that form when cave pools overflow, depositing calcite 3.
 * Shelves: Shelves form as calcite is deposited around cave pools and other cave formations 3 . They develop under still water conditions 3.

Climate and Weather

=== Outside: //The Chihuahuan Desert//=== The Chihuahuan Desert experi ** e **** n **** ces a climate with hot summers an **** d **** mild winters, when frosts, even snowstorms or hard freezes may occur 2. The climate is mo **** stly dr **** y, as this region is a rain shadow desert, but rain occu **** rs Ju **** ly **** to October ****, precipitation annually averaging 14.9 inches **** 2. **** While the climate is dry, the desert is still one of the wettest in North **** America 2. ** The average high temperature is 74 °F while the average low is 50°F 2.

The weather and climate of the area have helped shape the features of the park 2. Rain, snow, and wind have eroded away sediment, revealing the ancient reef that was buried under it 2. As well, the rain and snow provide the water necessary for the deposition of calcite in the caverns, creating the many geologic features in them 2. The many geologic features in the cave show evidence of much water, however, few of the features are still growing, which shows a decrease in precipitation than in the past 2.

**** A rain shadow desert occurs when there is a lack of prec **** ipit **** a **** tio **** n **** in the region on the leeward side of a mountain 8. This **** lack of precip **** itation ha **** ppens because humid air travels up the windward side **** of **** the **** mountain ****, and when it reaches the top it cools and condenses to form clouds 8. These **** clouds **** p **** recipitate heavily at this point, and by the time the air travel over the region on this leeward side of the mountain there is no remaining moisture left in the air, therefore th **** e prec **** ipitation received is very little 8. **
 * //What is a rain shadow desert?//
 * =  ||= Fall ||= Winter ||= Spring ||= Summer ||
 * = Day Length 1 ||= 12 Hours ||= 9 Hours ||= 12 Hours ||= 14.5 Hours ||
 * = Altitude of Sun 1 ||= 55 ° ||= 31.5 °  ||= 55 °  ||= 78 °  ||

Inside: //The Carlsbad Caves//
Inside the deeper caves, such as Lechuguilla it is 68°F and very humid year round 2 . The cave's temperature is able to remain constant year round because it gains heat from earth's core, but lacks external temperature influences 2 . The outside climate varies due to factors such as movement of air masses, solar radiation, cloud cover, and wind. However, because of the isolated manner of the cave, none of these influences are present to change temperature 2 . Being underground causes the caves to absorb some of earth's core heat; this heat is retained due to the insulation of the cave from the solid rock around it 2 . The reason that the cave is humid is that there is water inside the caverns, but no way for the humidity to escape; this causes almost 100% relative humidity all the time 2 .

In Caves closer to the entrance, such as the Big Room the temperature and humidity vary more, because of the large entrances to the caves 2 <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;">. These openings allow humid air to escape, causing the relative humidity to be as low as 87.5% at times <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; vertical-align: super;">2 <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;">. The openings also cause a cold trap system to occur in these close caves <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; vertical-align: super;">2 <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;">. This means that in the winter, when the outside temperature drops, the cold air moves into the cave. This cold air causes the warm air to rise to the ceiling of the cave, and as more cold air moves in this warm air gets pushed out <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; vertical-align: super;">2 <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;">. This process has cooled the Big Room over time to an average temperature of 56°F <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 9px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; vertical-align: super;">2 <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;">. <span style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;">


 * <span style="color: #9c602b; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 140%; font-weight: normal;">Biome **


 * The Carlsbad Caverns National Park is located in a desert biome. The Chihuahuan desert contains some of the highest diversity of mammals, reptiles, birds, and insects in the United States ** 2 ** . **[[image:http://tucsoncitizen.com/wryheat/files/2009/11/kangaroo-rat31.jpg width="206" height="146" align="right" caption="Kangaroo rat <http://tucsoncitizen.com/wryheat/files/2009/11/kangaroo-rat31.jpg>"]]


 * Mammals include: **
 * **Bats** - The caves are home to 17 species of bats, the most famous being the colony of Brazilian free-tailed bats. Because bats are blind, they use sonar to find their way around in the dark 2.
 * **Kangaroo Rats** - They are able to getting needed moisture and water from the food they eat, such as seeds. They have excellent hearing, and their hind legs allow them to jump to high heights to escape predators. As well, they have a cheek pouch in which to store food in 4,6.

Birds include:
 * **Cactus Wren** - It uses the cacti in the desert to build homes and nests for breeding and roosting 2 .[[image:http://nmrareplants.unm.edu/photoimages/images/esclee_ht2.jpg width="150" height="210" align="right" caption="Lee pincushion cactus <http://nmrareplants.unm.edu/photoimages/images/esclee_ht2.jpg>"]]
 * **Cave Swallows** - A migratory bird that nests just inside the entrance to the cave. The cave swallow creates its nests from mud and plant fibers, and they are lined with feathers. They are opportunistic feeders, catching bugs in the air while only going to the ground to collect material for nests 2.

Plants include:
 * **Cactus** - Of the deserts in the world, the Chihuahuan desert has the highest diversity. To survive in the desert, cacti store moisture in their stems and use their spins to protect themselves. As well, they provide habitat and food to other animals and insects 2.
 * **Pinchot Juniper** - This plant is a resprouter, meaning it is adapted to recover from fire which is an important part of the ecosystem 2.

<span style="color: #9c602b; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Human Impact **


 * The caves are very fragile and can be affected by human activities. As well, nearby human-made **** pollution may impa **** ct air q **** u **** ality in the park. These sources of pollution include wells, power generating plants, and refineries 2 . Maintaining a good air quality is imp **** ortant in preserving the natural resources found in the park 2 . I<span style="font-family: ArialMT,helvetica,sans-serif;">n addition, the bats inside the caves can be affected by human activities, including: loss of habitat due to humans, use of pesticides, or being scared by human activity such as camera flashes <span style="font-family: ArialMT,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 70%; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: super;">2 <span style="font-family: ArialMT,helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">. **


 * <span style="color: #9c602b; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 140%; font-weight: normal;">Resources **


 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Astronomy Calculators for Sun and Moon." //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Timeanddate.com // <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. Web. 09 June 2010. <http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html>.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">"Carlsbad Caverns National Park (U.S. National Park Service)." //U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America.// Web. 01 June 2010. <http://www.nps.gov/cave/index.htm>.
 * 3) "Cave Formations (Speleothems) - Jenolan Caves." //Jenolan Caves, Guided Cave Tours, Adventure in the Blue Mountains, Ghost Tours, Accommodation, Restaurant and Cafe - Jenolan Caves//. 2010. Web. 08 June 2010. <http://www.jenolancaves.org.au/index.asp?pageID=75>.
 * 4) "Desert Kangaroo Rat - Dipodomys Deserti." //Blue Planet Biomes//. 2000. Web. 09 June 2010. <http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/kangaroo_rat.htm>.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Flowstone." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 08 June 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flowstone>.
 * 6) "Kangaroo Rat Fact Sheet." //Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum//. 2008. Web. 09 June 2010. <http://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/krat.php>.
 * 7) Moore, George W. "Helictite." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 09 June 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helictite>.
 * 8) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tarbuck, Edward J., Frederick K. Lutgens, and Dennis Tasa. "21.1 Factors That Affect Climate." Prentice Hall Earth Science. Boston, Mass.: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2009. Print.
 * 9) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tarbuck, Edward J., Frederick K. Lutgens, and Dennis Tasa. "6.3 Water Beneath the Surface." Prentice Hall Earth Science. Boston, Mass.: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2009. Print.
 * 10) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Uhler, John William. "Carlsbad Caverns National Park Information Page." //Carlsbad Caverns National Park//. 1995. Web. 03 June 2010. <http://www.carlsbad.caverns.national-park.com/info.htm>.
 * 11) "What Is a Cave, Caves." //Desert Biomes by DesertUSA//. Web. 08 June 2010. <https://www.desertusa.com/geofacts/caves.html>.