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Take a virtual tour of the Deepest Cave in the US

Located in Carlsbad, New Mexico, Lechuguilla Cave holds the record for being the deepest cave in the United States.

The deepest cave in the world is in the western Caucasus mountains of the Georgian Republic. The cave has been named Voronja, or "Crow's Cave" and has officially been verified to be 2140 meters (7,021 feet) deep. You can visit the online resource that has photographs taken inside the cave by the Greek exploration team who plumbed the awesome depths!

Awesome Stats:
The cave is a winding, twisting underground maze which has yet to be completely explored and mapped. Currently, 101 miles/156.5km of Lechuguilla have been explored and mapped, with no end in sight. So far, the deepest part of the cave measured goes down 1,632 feet (497 meters)!

Gem Among Caves

Ever since it was discovered, Lechuguilla has been explored and mapped by teams of enthusiastic cavers thrilled by the prospect of discovering things never before seen by human eyes. But not just anybody can go in. The cave is strictly protected because of all the delicate, never-before-seen crystal formations that could be damaged by inexperienced and careless people. There's always the danger of careless humans polluting and destroying the pristine beauty of the caves. Special permits and authority are required for anyone to go in. Not only that, you have to be an experienced caver because just getting into the cave at the entrance can be treacherous. Extreme Science will now take you on a virtual tour, so put on your helmets and let's go down....

The Lechuguilla Experience

We climb down an almost vertical 118 feet of rope, canal, ladder, and culvert before we are officially inside the cave. Now that we're here, you'll notice that it's a pleasant 68°F/20°C inside, a lot cooler than the broiling 105°F/41°C temperatures outside the cave today. As we move forward into the cave you start to feel the oppressive humidity - nearly 100%. Even the slightest movement makes you sweat and there's no breeze in your face to cool you. Down here in the depths of Lechuguilla silence takes on a new meaning. When we stop and sit to take a much needed break, all we hear is the beating of our hearts, our own breathing, the blood rushing in our ears. This is what it means to hear LOUD silence.

We press on and you become aware of all the earth above that lies between you and blue sky, how long it will take you to get back. We climb further on through some incredibly tight spaces, spaces so small we have to squeeze our bodies through lying down. You become keenly aware of how incredibly BLACK the darkness is in the cave, your only light the small lamp attached to your helmet. You begin to wonder, "What will I do if my light goes out?" But you are prepared. Being down here with experienced cavers, we have brought back-up batteries, bulbs, lamps, plenty of fluids and emergency supplies. You are now deep inside the cave and there is only one way out - the way we came in.

It's about time we saw some cool crystals - that is what we came in here to see, after all.... Now, let's move forward with the virtual tour and look at this really cool Bottle Brush Crystal - >