Lechuguilla Cave/NPS
Carlsbard Caverns presentations part of centennial celebration
Two presentations at Carlsbad Caverns National Park this week are part of the park’s centennial celebration.
On Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 1:30 p.m., come to the visitor’s center theater for “The Discovery and First 50 Miles of Exploration in Lechuguilla Cave.” The talk will focus on the early history of the cave, including local native groups, ranchers, guano miners and eventually the National Park Service (NPS).
“A series of lucky happenstances and hard work led explorers through a rubble pile at the bottom of a deep pit into what is now the ninth-longest cave in the world,” park officials said.
Return to the visitor’s center theater on Wednesday, Sept. 27, at 1:30 p.m. for “The Geology and Speleogenesis of Carlsbad Caverns.” This talk provides an overview of the rocks that make up the Guadalupe Mountains and the unique conditions that led to the creation of some of the greatest caves in the world, according to NPS.
“This 270-million-year-old story is a tale of deep oceans and shifting rock with characters that include oil, water and bugs,” park officials said.
Both talks will be led by Paul Burger, the regional hydrologist for the Alaska Region of the National Park Service and former geologist/hydrologist for Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Burger has volunteered with Carlsbad Caverns since junior high school and has been invovled in survey, exploration and research at the park for over 30 years. That includes working on exploration, mapping and inventory of Lechuguilla Cave since 1988, according to NPS.
Find this and other local stories in audio for blind and low-vision adults 2 pm daily on The Recording Library of West Texas radio station www.recordinglibrary.org live stream.
