POWDER CAVE & CLOUD CAVE
May 30, 2017
Hydro thermal activity in Powder Cave |
After checking out the range a bit more, we headed over to three caves called Powder, Cloud, and Lois caves.
Hydro thermal activity in Powder Cave |
The three caves are really close to each other which is just another indication that these hydro thermal caves might be associated with weakness pockets that they have created int eh rock when the hydro thermal speleo genetics were once active and created these cavities that later lifted and eventually formed these small caves.
Powder Cave |
The first cave we went to visit is called Powder cave. This cave is properly named as you enter the cave and there is 4 inches of talc powder like material on the ground.
Hydro thermal activity in Powder Cave |
Jason and I headed out of the cave and headed down another passage that took us to a small room with other passages that ended except for one that kept going and tuned out to be quite interesting. The walls and ceiling were different colors similar to other caves we have seen in the area with hydro thermal activity and we found a cat lair where some animal used the cave as a home. Unfortunately we also found a unused shotgun shell inside the cave leading us to believe that someone chased a cat in here and shot the animal.
Jason Ballensky in Powder Cave |
This was an interesting section of the cave and it was better than we thought it would be for the standards that we have been finding in this section of the desert. The cave must be a few hundred feet in total length which is worth mapping.
Powdery passage in Powder Cave |
Once we left Powder cave, we headed over to Cloud cave which was also interesting in its own right with evaporitic material and mammalaries at the entrance of the cave.
Hydro thermal activity in Powder Cave |
The cave went back a couple hundred feet and we found a grouping of bats hanging out in a terminal passage. We also found a high lead that will need to be checked at a later date.
Cloud cave |
After cloud cave we headed over to Lois Cave which was more of a rock shelter than a cave.
hydro thermal activity at the entrance of Cloud Cave |
This grouping continues my theory that if there is one cave there are more in the area, I am going to continue to do more research on this theory and see if I can substantiate it with some realistic evidence.
hydro thermal activity at the entrance of Cloud Cave |
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