Carlsbad Caverns National Park - August 2005 »  Viewing 8     [Image 8 of 17]  :: Jump To  
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Comment: One of the first stalagmites, or speleothems, that you see. This one still has a pool of calcium carbonate-laden water it sits in. Geology at work.
3 * The natural entrance to Carlsbad Caverns. Native Americans knew about this place, but it's believed that they didn't venture more than 50 feet into the cave. * 2048 x 1536 * (1.47MB)

4 * 2048 x 1536 * (1.48MB)

5 * The natural entrance. * 2048 x 1536 * (1.47MB)

6 * Once inside, it starts getting dark pretty quickly. The small specks that you see in the light are cave swallows, which inhabit the entrance from March to September. * 2048 x 1536 * (927KB)

7 * 2048 x 1536 * (1.46MB)
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8.jpg - 2048 x 1536 - (1.31MB)
8/25/05 3:22 PM
9 * This is called the Whale's Mouth, due to the way the CaCO3 precipitated. * 2048 x 1536 * (1.45MB)

10 * This picture doesn't do justice for how large this cavern I'm standing in is. It's approximately 600,000 square feet, which is 700 football fields. This is only the beginning. * 2048 x 1536 * (1.15MB)

13 * Two speleothems, a general term for any precipitation of calcite in a cave, which includes stalagmites and stalagtites, are seen here. Once these two features join, they will be called a column. * 1536 x 2048 * (1.36MB)

14 * 1536 x 2048 * (1.51MB)

15 * Stalagmite * 1536 x 2048 * (1.22MB)
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