Ape Caves

Produced 1,900 years ago during the castle creek eruptive period. At 12,800 feet the Ape Cave is the longest lava tube in the continental united states. Named after a local group of young outdoorsmen who, were the first to explore the cave in 1946. The Ape Cave was formed form flows of ropy pahoehoe basalt, which crusted over with cooling lava. This protective crust forms, an insulating blanket so the lava beneath does not cool, and remains in a liquid form. This protective roof, allows the lava to flow for many miles without solidifying, this enabled it to cut down into the topsoil, giving many sections of the cave a high narrow cross section. As the lava drained form the tube, it dripped from the ceiling forming stalactites and stalagmites. Very few of these formations can be found today since early visitors to the cave removed them for souvenirs. Along the walls of the cave ledges can be observed, these were formed when the lava began to drain form the tube and then its level stabilized, allowing a thin crust to form between the roof of the cave and the still liquid lava. As the lava began to flow once again, chunks of solidified lava broke free and flowed down the cave, one of these chunks. Became lodged in a narrow part of the lava tube, and remained lodged there after the rest of the lava drained from the tube. After forming, the ape cave was filled with sand and ash 450 years ago during the Kalama Period. This concluded the formation of the Ape Cave. After the cave was formed many animals found it to be a suitable home; today very few organisms inhabit the Ape Cave. The inhabitants of the cave include: Camel crickets which feed on organic matter and small insects, grylloblattids, small roach like insects which stalk fungus mat larvae, salamanders which are attracted to the cave entrances, by the abundance of insects and damp rock, little brown bats which are rarely seen, will occasionally roost in the Ape Cave. Although tourism has mainly scared these animals away, the lucky visitor may find one during a visit to the Ape Cave.

Another, interesting lava tube, is that of the trail of two forests, there visitors can see where a lava flow encircled old-growth trees and hardened around their roots and trunks, making a lava cast of the tree, this cast is now hollow and can be, crawled through. The most interesting thing about the trail of two forests, is that is has completely rebounded since the lava flow which destroyed it thousands of years ago subsided. This recovery took place through the process of succession, although it has taken hundreds of years the lava flow is now covered with large plant life.