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Post Info TOPIC: Snowy River


L

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Fort Stanton Cave
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For Donald Davis, it was fascination at first sight.
It was 1960 when he first laid eyes on Fort Stanton Cave in southeastern New Mexico. There were large galleries, gypsum crystals peeking out from the muddy walls and air blowing from the uncharted depths.

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L

Posts: 131433
Date:
Snowy River
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A sparkling subterranean crystalline calcite formation known as Snowy River is no longer a dry riverbed. Scientists say Snowy River, discovered in 2001, is now running with between a half-foot to a foot-and-a-half of water.
The formation, which is not open to the public, was discovered by a U.S. Bureau of Land Management team led by veteran speleologist John McLean of Colorado. The passage, which looks like a river of snow surrounded by walls of brown clay and black manganese dioxide deposits, stretches more than 2 miles from a passage in Fort Stanton Cave.
Water originally carved a channel in the clay and gravel, then eventually filled it with brilliant white calcite. In some places, the ceiling soars up to 40 feet; in others it's down to 16 inches.
Scientists believe the last time water flowed in the Snowy River formation may have been 150 years ago.

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