Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, national park in the semiarid foothills of the Guadalupe Mountains in southeastern New Mexico. The park is the site of one of the largest subterranean labyrinths in the world. Established as a national monument in 1923, it became a national park in 1930. It was designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1995.

The caverns are believed to have been hollowed out of an ancient reef deposit by the dissolving action of sulfuric acid on limestone beginning about 12 million years ago. Petroleum deep below the limestone released hydrogen sulfide gas that was turned into sulfuric acid by microbes in combination with oxygen and water. The acid hollowed out the caves and turned calcium minerals into gypsum. Later, water dripping into the cave through the limestone rock above carried dissolved minerals that formed the spectacular cave formations of stalactites, stalagmites, and columns.

The first scientific exploration of the caverns was made in 1924 by a National Geographic Society party, but the full extent of the caverns is still not known. Lechuguilla Cave was discovered in another part of the park in 1986 and became famous for unusual gypsum formations, including ones that resemble massive chandeliers.

About 45 km (28 mi) of connecting corridors and chambers in the caverns have been explored, and the deepest known level is 487 m (1,597 ft) below the earth’s surface. The principal chamber, the Big Room, is the largest subterranean chamber in North America; it is 610 m (2,010 ft) long and 335 m (1,105 ft) wide and reaches a height of 77 m (254 ft). Stalactites and stalagmites of various colors and sizes, ranging from massive to delicate, are found in the caverns’ chambers, which include King’s Palace, Green Lake Room, Papoose Room, and Queen’s Chamber. More than 1 million bats inhabit the caverns, emerging nightly from May through October in search of insects. Area, 18,926 hectares (46,766 acres).

Reviewed by: National Park Service