Lehman Caves, Great Basin

Before leaving Great Basin, we booked a Parachute Shield tour at Lehman Caves. We broke camp, buttoned up the Casita, and headed down the hill for our tour.

After a brief introduction and overview, we entered the caves and learned about the man who "discovered" them, a cowboy/ rancher named Absolom Lehman. I couldn't help wonder about the native peoples who not only knew about these caves but had utilized them for years. When I asked the ranger about this, she said she would be happy to talk with me about it when we exited the cave, after the tour. I think I will do my own research when I get home. 

The caves were beautiful, developing about 500 million years ago. Cave passages formed 500 million years ago when warm acidic water rose and dissolved the marble. About 20 million years ago, water passing through rock layers became acidic and dissolved away bits of calcite creating the stalactites and stalagmites that we see today. Besides the rare and beautiful formations created over the centuries of water dripping, the caves are also home to a variety of bats. We were carefully screened and walked through a disinfecting foot bath to protect the bats from a fungal infection called White Nose Syndrome. Though the bats at Lehman Caves have yet to be infected, millions of bats across the United States have succumbed and died from this disease. Lehman Caves is a beautifully decorated geologic wonder- we were so grateful to have visited this beautiful space!Okumaya devam et