It’s hard to believe that Carlsbad Caverns pool 700ft below ground in New Mexico Cave that is so beautiful and ancient could be left unknown. The planet Earth is filled with so much wonder, it leaves us in awe every day!
In a secret, deep and gorgeous cavern 700 feet beneath Carlsbad Cavern National Park lies an unknown pool that has never been seen by any human. The water is thought to be virgin as it’s accessed through untouched passages with many turns in which different types of bats live on their own terms throughout this vast network
In New Mexico there exist countless “virgin” cave systems. The pool in the cave is surrounded by white frosted rock and filled with thick, milky aquamarine liquid that looks like lime yogurt.
Carlsbad Caverns is an interesting place because it’s the world’s longest mapped cave system. It was completely isolated from any other form of light or life for centuries, which means that there were no humans around when this pool first appeared in Lechuguilla Cave. Exploration sometimes yields small yet wondrous sights like these gorgeous water droplets on limestone walls.
The passage was first found in 1993 and lies 700 feet below the entrance to Lechuguilla Cave, which is one of Earth’s longest caves. It wasn’t until last year that someone managed to make an entry into this cave. Explorer and caver Wisshak documented his journey through the cave on social media, posting photos that revealed new insights into its vastness. He said exploring it “sometimes yields wondrous sights.”
This cave pool, found in Lechuguilla Cave, appears to be completely pristine. The edges beneath this pool appear to be ‘pool fingers’, which could be bacterial colonies that have evolved entirely without human presence.
Some may find the discovery of an alien-like cave disturbing, but geoscientist and expedition leader Max Wisshak says that this watery substance is actually crystal clear. It just has a creamy appearance due to optical illusion. The story goes that an ancient civilization used to live in this cave and they would dive down, unnoticed by people outside their own time. They had knowledge of how water worked because it rains so much where they came from. Microbiologists have already found new microbe species in the pools of Lechuguilla Cave– such as the “Lake of Liquid Sky” discovered in 1993. The discovery of this cave network could provide further results. Many bat skeletons were found, and some are believed to be thousands of years old.
Wisshak explained:
Such untouched pools are scientifically important because water samples are relatively free of contaminants and the microbial organisms that may live in those pools are only those that belong there.
Contamination can occur from the surface above the cave, but in case of Lechuguilla Cave, that’s not a big issue, since it is situated in a well-protected wilderness area. Contamination can also occur via aerosols in the air. However, a newly discovered pool in Lechuguilla Cave is about as pristine as it gets.
The team did an incredible job at preventing any contaminants from reaching the pool. They even found a bat skeleton inside. Wisshak is researching the rare barite crystals in Lechuguilla Cave, and he has applied for grants to continue his work. There were several similar pools that can be found throughout this networked system of caves – one being called “the Lake Of Liquid Sky”.
There are more than just a single 118 caves at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, but it is believed that many others are out there waiting to be discovered.