Carlsbad Caverns

One of the largest known networks of underground caves, in the foothills of the Guadalupe Mountains, 30 km/19 mi southwest of Carlsbad, in southeastern New Mexico, USA. Carlsbad Caverns are situated in the 18,900 ha/47,000 ac Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Recently discovered Lechuguilla Caverns, 6 km/4 mi to the west, is thought to be the deepest cave in the US.

The chambers, up to at least 335 m/1,100 ft below the surface, were created by water intruding into and dissolving portions of a vast Permian limestone reef; one covers nearly 5.7 ha/14 ac, reaching over 76 m/250 ft in height and containing ornate stalactites, stalagmites, draperies, and other formations. Bat Cave, a natural entrance to the caverns ‘discovered’ in the 1880s, and famous for its huge bat population, contains ancient pictographs, and was in the early 20th century the site of a guano mining operation.