Lechuguilla cave
| Lechuguilla cave
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 A chamber of the Lechuguilla cave |
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| Location: | Carlsbad , New Mexico , USA | |
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Geographic location: |
32 ° 10 '37.7 " N , 104 ° 26' 27.8" W | |
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| Type: | Stalactite cave | |
| Discovery: | 1984 | |
| Overall length: | 222 km | |
| Particularities: | holds some US record highs, gypsum stalactites in the Chandelier Ballroom | |
The Lechuguilla Cave is a stalactite cave near Carlsbad in New Mexico . It is considered to be one of the most beautiful caves in the world and is located in the Carlsbad Caverns National Park .
description
With an extension of 222 km it is the eighth longest measured cave in the world and with a depth of 489 m it is the deepest cave in the heartland of the United States . The east-west extension of the cave is 3270 meters. The breathing speed of the cave of up to 80 km / h (in passing high pressure areas, large caves suck in air, in low pressure areas this air blows out) suggests a much larger expansion of the cave.
The first exploration of the cave took place in 1984 after the entrance to the cave, which was full of dung from the bats, was shoveled free.
The administration of the Carlsbad Cavern National Park has blocked the extremely nutrient-poor cave with an iron grating and only allows a few selected researchers access, such as the microbiologist Hazel Barton .
Movies
In the fifth episode ( Höhlenwelten ) of its nature documentary series Planet Earth, the BBC filmed the so-called Chandelier Ballroom , a part of the cave in which the most bizarre crystal formations of the cave can be seen, among other areas .
literature
- GEO Magazin, March 2009.
References
- ↑ NSS geo2 Committee on Long and Deep Caves . April 7, 2019. Accessed July 1, 2019.
- ↑ BBC press note: Planet Earth Caves and Lechuguilla
