Kentucky’s most popular national park, Mammoth Cave, has even more secrets to uncover in a recent discovery of more cave passages that surpass its own record as the longest cave system in the world.
On September 11th, the park’s Facebook page posted, “The world’s longest cave just got longer !!!” to announce the discovery of 8 additional miles for a total of 420 miles in this UNESCO World Heritage Site. That news came on Memorial Day for the National Day of Service and the park’s partnership with the Cave Research Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the exploration, research, and protection of caves, and whose members made the discovery.
Mapping these passages offers numerous environmental benefits. Home to 130 species of wildlife and many geological wonders, these caves pave the way for future research. This data can be used to secure the area as Mammoth Cave is part of the larger campsite. The cave’s sprawling, complex interior means that highway accidents, such as chemical spills, could spill through the cave’s tunnels and hidden avenues and damage other areas of the park. Maps are vital to the Cave Research Foundation in understanding the cave’s weak points and making it safer to explore the 10 miles that are open to the 500,000 annual tourists.
Since it was named the longest cave system in 1969, with a total of 65 surveyed miles, the foundation’s freelance researchers have measured more than six times the original length. Equipped with compasses, tape measure, laser finder and an instrument called an inclinometer, the cave cartographers diligently measured the direction, distance and inclination of cave passages. They then gradually collated their data to create a picture of how underground rivers created these switchbacks through limestone erosion, a unique natural process known as karst topography.
“Many of the cave trips are long and arduous, involving climbing, vertical exposure, bruising, crawling, water, and mud,” said Karen Willmes, Eastern Operations Manager, Cave Research Foundation. “After the trip, cartographers transform the data collected during the cave trip into a map. Other volunteers provide surface support. It is a first class achievement for a world class cave and we are proud to be a part of it. ”
In particular, the US Department of the Interior estimates that there are still up to 600 miles of caves hidden, a flexible number that will increase as the water continues to erode the sedimentary rocks.
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