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Cavers Discover the Entrance to a New World Within an Old Cave

What Is It?
How Did They Find It?
The new discovery appears to be a segment of a much larger complex cave system. How it formed and how it relates to the local geology and hydrology has yet to be determined. Some interesting cave organisms have been observed in the new section and have been identified as new species. This new cave is generating many more questions than answers. In the years to come many new biological and geologic discoveries are anticipated. Studying this new discovery will help us better understand the formation of caves in this area and may give us some more information on groundwater hydrology of the cave region.

The bottom of Snowy River is covered with bright white coatings. Very slow moving ground water dissolved the grayish-brown limestone walls of the cave and recrystallized that limestone into a different white-colored mineral called calcite, creating a white cave formation in the bottom of the now dry cave passage. The passage has been subjected to numerous infilling of ground water saturated with calcite, which during periods of drying laid numerous coats of calcite as it evaporated or slowly drained from the cave. The cave formation lying on the bottom of Snowy River may well be the largest continuous cave formation in America.

Dr. Penny Boston, director of the cave and karst studies program at New Mexico Tech, said her studies of the passage's microbiology have revealed several species of microorganisms that were previously unknown to exist. The species live in this isolated environment by essentially eating the rocks, creating chemical byproducts in the process that could have pharmaceutical uses, she said.

How Did They Find It?

It started out as just another exploration trip following air flow into a pile of rubble and cave clay. This trip was a little more interesting because they were testing a cave radio they brought along to communicate and plot passage locations on the surface with other cavers outside the cave. This radio had been designed and built by Bob and Debbie Buecher, prominent cavers from Tucson, Arizona.

Lloyd Swartz was working at the face of the passage removing rocks from which air was blowing and dropped a coffee can he was using as a tool. The can fell through a hole in the floor and continued to loudly bounce into oblivion. Lloyd kicked at this small opening which opened up into a new cave passage. The exploration team got on the cave radio and alerted the crew on the surface that after 31 years of following the air flow in this tiny crawlway they had broken through into large cave passage. Using the cave radio, they were able to broadcast LIVE ON THE AIR this major breakthrough to the shocked surface crew—possibly a first in caving history.

The new passage continued on going straight down for 35 feet then another 35 feet of steep walled pit passage led to the bottom of this passage. A rope was rigged to aid in the decent. At the bottom of this pit, the passage grew larger - four feet high and eight feet wide. This passage was horizontal and the air flow was becoming stronger. A survey control point was set up and the explorers started surveying the new find. The walls of the passage were covered with clay with an occasional beautiful gypsum-based, flattened starburst-like cave formations growing out of the passage wall. As they continued on, the passage became bigger and the starburst formations more prolific. Excitement was building until they came to the apparent end of then passage. The passage ahead appeared to be plugged with mud.

Upon closer examination, the passage appeared to duck under a wall and continue. With their digging tools left on top of the pit, a lone rock found in the passage was used to dig out enough mud to continue on.

When enough mud was moved, Don Becker was able to traverse the mug plug to where he found a borehole type passage that continued to grow in size. The group continued surveying as they went.

The borehole continued to grow in size; it was now ten feet tall and four feet wide. They continued down this passage and soon their lights no longer reflected off the end of the cave passage in front of them, there was only blackness.

Surveying to the end of the borehole they found that the blackness was caused by the borehole passage interconnecting with a much larger river like passage up to 40 feet tall and 30 feet wide. Much to the fascination of the explorers, the bottom of this dry river like passage was covered by a sparkling, continuous snow white calcite formation stretching as far as one could see up or down the passage. This new discovery seemed to name itself—Snowy River.

Subsequent exploration trips to Snowy River have led to miles of additional sinuous passages being surveyed and several scientific studies undertaken. Exploration has now been put on hold to address scientific, safety, and management concerns. There is still flowing air, large trunk passages, and numerous small passage leads yet to be explored.