Lechuguilla Cave

E288852

Lechuguilla Cave is a renowned and highly protected limestone cave in New Mexico, famous for its great depth, extensive passages, and rare, delicate mineral formations.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Lechuguilla Cave canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf karst cave
limestone cave
show cave
accessPolicy closed to general public
restricted to permitted scientific and exploration teams
country United States of America
surface form: United States
discoveryMethod discovered via small known entrance pit
discoveryYear 1986
environmentalStatus one of the most pristine caves known
explorationStart mid-1980s
formationProcess sulfuric acid dissolution of limestone
geologicalFormation Capitan Reef complex
hasEcosystem chemosynthetic-based microbial communities
hasSpeleothemType gypsum flowers
gypsum needles
speleothems formed from sulfur minerals
hazard remote, difficult access
vertical drops
knownFor delicate speleothems
extensive cave passages
great depth
microbial life in isolated ecosystems
pristine cave environment
rare mineral formations
sulfur-based speleogenesis
locatedIn Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Eddy County, New Mexico
New Mexico
locatedInMountainRange Guadalupe Mountains
locatedInTimeZone Mountain Time Zone
managedBy National Park Service
surface form: U.S. National Park Service
notableFeature extensive maze-like passages
gypsum chandeliers
helictites
large vertical shafts
soda straws
sulfur deposits
partOf Chihuahuan Desert
surface form: Chihuahuan Desert region
partOfProtectedArea Carlsbad Caverns National Park
protectionStatus highly protected
regulation entry by special permit only
rockType limestone
scientificSignificance analog for subsurface life on other planets
insights into cave formation processes
study of extremophile microorganisms
surveyStatus extensively mapped by cavers
tourismStatus not developed for tourism

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park contains Lechuguilla Cave