After surveyors spent hours mapping the passageways at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, another 8 miles (13 km) of the world's longest cave system set a new record.
According to the National Park Service (NPS), Mammoth Cave's corridors measure an incredible 420 miles (676 km) in length. This is roughly the distance between New York City, North Carolina, and Raleigh.
The Cave Research Foundation (CRF) was a Kentucky-based non-profit group that helped map the cave system. They also worked with other locals from the Central Kentucky Karst Coalition.
In a NPS statement, Karen Willmes, eastern operations manager at CRF stated that many cave trips involve climbing, vertical exposure and squeezes.
"After the trip cartographers convert the data from the cave trip into maps. Others provide support on the surface. This is a great effort to create a world-class cave and we are proud to have been a part of it."
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The Mammoth Cave system "grew" not once before. It was first recorded in 1969 with 65 miles (105 km) of documented passageways.
CRF cavers found a link between Mammoth Cave and Flint Ridge during a 14-hour survey, September 1972. This brought Mammoth Cave's distance to 144 mi (232 km).
According to the NPS statement, CRF surveys added more mileage to Mammoth Cave's system. This included the discovery of connections between it with smaller caves like Proctor Cave, Roppel Cave, and Morrison Cave.
"There is no end to the discoveries made in Mammoth cave!" Officials from Mammoth Cave National Park shared their thoughts on the park's page.
The Mammoth Cave is an immense labyrinth formed by limestone erosion. This phenomenon is scientifically called karst topography. It can also be seen in other soluble rock like marble and gypsum.
According to the U.S. Department of the Interior blog and the NPS, karst topography is when water from rain or rivers seeps underground through cracks and fractures. The water then travels far underground, gradually dissolving the soft underground rock and creating caves.
More than 2,000,000 people visit the caves each year. They are home to 130 species of wildlife, including 14 troglobites. These animals live exclusively in caves like the Typhlichthys Subterraneus (eyless southern cavefish).
Mammoth Cave National Park in the United States is one of 13 sites that have been designated a World Heritage Site by United Nations. It boasts "long passages with enormous chambers, stalagmites, stalactites, beautiful gypsum flower forms, delicate gypsum threads [and] rare mirabilite blooms. No other cave system has a greater number of sulfate mineral varieties." Here's a list containing other natural World Heritage Sites within the U.S.
The longest underwater cave system is located in Quintana Roo, Mexico on the Yucatn Peninsula.
Researchers from the Great Maya Aquifer revealed that two underwater cave systems had been discovered and were linked, creating the larger Sac Actun system. This system now spans 215 miles (347 km), Live Science reported previously.
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Live Science originally published this article. You can read the original article here.
