Shifting Gears - The Beautiful Caves

Discovery of Vast, Ancient Cave Astounds Geologists
By Chuck Squatriglia, San Francisco Chronicle
September 25, 2006

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK — Four amateur cave explorers in Sequoia National Park have discovered a vast cave formed 1 million years ago, a labyrinth that stretches more than 1,000 feet into a mountain and features some of the most beautiful rock formations ever seen.

Millions of crystals along its walls shimmer like diamonds. Translucent mineral "curtains" hang from the ceiling. Flowstones that resemble spilled paint dot the floor. A lake that might be 20 feet deep fills one of the cave's five known rooms, and passages leading into darkness suggest there is still much more to see.

The discovery has excited geologists and cave explorers nationwide because although caves are discovered with almost mundane regularity — 17 of the 240 caves in Sequoia and Kings Canyon parks have been found since 2003 — it is rare to find one so grand. The cave, named Ursa Minor, has been called one of the most significant finds in a generation.

Park officials will not pinpoint the cave's location, saying only that it is in the Kaweah River watershed and will probably never be open to the public. Explorers from the nonprofit Cave Research Foundation discovered it Aug. 19. Through good luck and better eyesight, they happened upon Ursa Minor while headed to lunch.

While most people envision caves as big holes in the ground, cave mouths are usually quite small — in this case, about the size of a softball. Scott McBride, an explorer from San Andreas, who has discovered 50 caves since 1994, spotted it, loosely filled with dirt and rock. Fissures around the opening, something a casual observer would miss but a seasoned caver knows might suggest a cave entrance, suggested it was worth a closer look.

Pictures
Crystal Cave

Ursa Minor