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Carlsbad Caverns This is the largest cave complex we have ever seen. They were hollowed out by chemical processes that produced large amounts of sulphuric acid. The formations then slowly grew over thousands of years to the dramatic examples that can be seen today. Unfortunately, we arrived quite late in the day so had to rush through a bit. The photos were taken on the digital camera, generally without flash so there might be a bit of camera shake due to the low speed of the exposure!
Guadalupe National Park Carlsbad Caverns are part of the Guadalupe National Park. The geology of the Guadalupe mountains is quite fascinating. Millions of years ago, the whole area was beneath the sea. Over time a massive reef formed in this sea. Tectonic forces then forced the whole area upwards and the sea drained away. The Guadalupe mountains are actually the remains of the old reef. There are loads of different kinds of wildlife in the park, including rattlesnakes and mountain lions. We stayed late at the caverns to see the Mexican freetail bats leaving the caves to feed. It was an amazing sight as there are about 300,000 of them! Walking back from the cave, we had to take a detour as park rangers had found a rattlesnake bedding down by the path!
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