B Volume Xi Number 8 August, 1966
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~~ 1966 VCl.Xl ~. B VOLUME XI NUMBER 8 AUGUST, 1966 COVER: •••• " STAT I ON 1 " ToM MEADOR AT ONE oF THE MANY ENTRANCES TO THE SERIES OF SHELTERS KNOWN AS THE "PAINTED CAVES 11 NEAR DEL RIO. AT ONE TIME THESE SHELTERS CONTAINED MANY PICTOGRAPHS, BUT NOW ARE COMPLETELY VANDALIZED. PERSONS WITH INFORMATION ON INDIAN SHELTERS SHOULD GET IN TOUCH WITH TOM PRONTO SINCE HE IS COMPILING INFOR MATION ON INDIAN SHELTERS FOR A FOURTHCOMING ARTICLE- PERHAPS TO APPEAR IN THE NSS BULLETIN. PHoTo BY CARL KuNATH. (NtKON F, ADox KB-17 FILM IN D-76.) CONTENTS: PAGE 95 LAVA CAVES PART 2 BY NAN LINDSLEY 99 ABILENE G~OTTO CHECKS THE HILLS BY JIM ESTES 101 P~OJECT UNDE~ THE HILL BY CARL KUNATH ' 102 GROTTO NEWS THE TEXAS CAVER IS A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE TEXAS SPELEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION AND IS PUBLISHED IN DALLAS, TEXAS. MATERIAL FOR PUBLICAT I ON SHOULD BE TYPED DOUBLE-SPACED AND SENT TO THE EDITO~ NO LATER THAN THE 1sT OF THE MONTH OF ISSUE. THIS PUBLICATION IS EXCHANGED WI TH OTHER SIM~LAR PUBLICATIONS 0~ SUBSCRIPTION IS $3.00 PER YEA~ FOR 12 1ssuEs.{9) 1966 BY THE TEXAS CAVER. ED I TOR ••••••• • •••••••• PETE LINDSLEY GRoTTO NEws EDITOR •••• BE~T OLSEN AsstsTAND EDITOR •••••• CHUCK LARSEN PHHTO TIPS EDITO~ ••••• CARL KuNATH TYPIST •••••••••••••••• JACKLYN ROBINSON CuR~ENT EvENTS EDITOR •• JIM EsTES ARTWORK • ••••••••••••••NORMAN ROBINSON LITHOG~APHER •••••• B~YANT LILLY AssEMBLY ••• JACK & GLORIA BuRcH NOTE8 ALL MONEY AND QUESTIONS FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS OR RENEWALS SHOULD BE SENT TO THE ASSISTANT EDITOR: CHUCK LARSEN, 12719 HIGHMEAOOW, DALLAS, TEXAS 75234. ALL GROTTO AND CLUB NEWS SHOULD BE SENT TO THE GROTTO NEWS EDITOR: BERT OLSEN, 222 MIZELL, DUNCANVILLE, TEXAS 75116. OFFICERS OF THE TEXAS SPELEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE CURRENT YEAR AREg CHAIRMAN •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• CA~L KuNATH VICE CHAIRMAN ••••••••• . ••••••••••••••••• BILL RussELL SECRETARY-TREASU~ER ••••••••••••••••••••• OLLENE BUNDRANT 107 ToMAHAWK TRAIL, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 78232 HELP ~ !! PLEASE SEND us You~ ZIP CoDE IF IT IS NOT ON THE MAILING TAG. YOU CAN'T GET YOUR CAVE~ NEXT YEA~ WITHOUT A ZIP CODE~~! t THE TEXAS CAVER 9 PAGE 95 AuG UST, 1966 LAVA CAVES PART IT ! NT ERNAL FEATURES OF LAVA CAVES g Bv g NAN L I NDSLEY STALACT i TES , AND SOMET! MES LA VA ON THE FLOOR STOPPED MO VI NG. STALAGMITES, ARE FOUND DN ALL TVPES WILL I AMS, IN HI S DESCR I P TI ON OF LAVA CAVES. AcCORD I NG TO OF THE LAVA RIVER TUNNEL (1923, WE NTWORTH AND MACDON ALD (19539 P. 165), MENTIONS THAT THE WALLS AND Pu 54) LAVA STALAC T UTES MAY FORM ! N ROOF OF THE TUNNEL ARE GLAZED ON E OF TWO WilY So THE F I RST MOD E OV ER TO PRODUCE A FA i RL Y SMOO TH OF FORM AT i ON US BY TH£ DR~~P U NG OF SURFACE. STALACT i TES ARE COMMON MO RE OR LESS FL UI D LAVA F ROM THE AN D ARE HI GHLY VES I CULAR I NS ! DE 9 THE WALL S AND ROO F , EITHER DUE TO A OUTS! DE BEl NG DENSE AND NONPOROU S. LOWER UNG OF THE LEVEL OF FLU i D VESICLES ARE OFTEN ELONGATE VERT i CALL Y. LAVA ! N THE T UNNEL~ OR ELSE F ROM SoME OF THE STALACT i TES ARE HOL LOW SPAT TER . STALACT UTES FORMED I N FOR SEVERAL INCHES OF THEIR LENGH T , TH I S WAY LOOK SOMEWHA T LI KE UC I CLES , WI TH LO ~ER END OF THE TUBE BE l NG ALTHOUGH THE Y ARE MORE IRREGULAR, AND OPEN . PERHAPS THESE "SODA- STRAWS" AN Y STALAGM iT ES TH AT FORM ARE PROBABL Y FORMED BY SOL I DIF I CAT I ON OF A CRUST CA RR UED AWA Y BY THE ST I LL MOV I NG LAV A ON THE OUTS I OE 9 AFTER WHICH THE STREAMo THESE STAL AC TI TES ARE ST OLL L I QUID INTER I OR OF THE STALACT I TE GENER ALLY 6 TO 12 INCHES LONG, ORA l NED OUT • THOUGH RARELY THE Y MA Y BE AS MUC H AS TEAR-DROP-SHAPED OR BULBOUS J F EET LONG . STALACT I TES SEEM TO BE QU I TE COMMON . STALACT I TES MAY ALSO BE FORMED THEY FORM WHEN THE LAVA OF THE BY GAS- HE ATI NG I N A TUBE OR SPATTER STALACT I TE IS FLU I D ENOUGH TO FL OW CON E. AT TEMPERATURES UP TO 12QQ°C I NTO A DROP AT THE END BUT NOT FLU I D THE EXPOSED SURFACES ARE HEATED UNT IL ENOUGH TO FALL OFF. TEAR-DROP THE Y FLOW , PRODUC I NG STALACTI TES STALACTITES ARE MEN TI ONED BY RUSSEL WHi CH ARE USUALL Y NO MORE THAN Z -~ (1902, P.94) AS OCCURR I NG I N PRESSURE I NC HES THDCK, AL THOUGH THE Y MAY BE R I DGE CAVES OF THE SNAKE Ri VER ARE A, AS LONG AS 4 F EE T . THESE ST AL AC T OTES AND PECK (1962, P o 27) SPEAKS OF SHO W GREA T VARI ETV OF FORM o "BULBOUS LAVAL STALACT I TES" I N THE THEY MA Y BE SM OOTH~ REG UL AR RODS 9 ARco TUNNEL LAvA TUBE I N I DAHo . OR THEY MA Y BE I ~;CL E - S HAF'E O . SoME SHARK gS TOOTH STALAC TI TES ARE ARE L I KE ELONGA T E BUNCHES OF GRAPES 9 ANOTHER TYPE, APPEAR I NG AS FLATTENED OTHERS LOOK L I KE A NEST OF CO NTO RTED I Ci CLE-LIKE PROJECT I ONS WHI CH ARE WO RMS. FORMED BY THE PULL I NG APART OF TAFFY AT HA L EMA UMAU CR ATER ON KILAU EA9 LI KE LAVA. WENTWORTH AND MACDONAL D STALACT i T ES HAVE BEEN OBSERVED (1953, P. 57) DESCR I BE A WE I RD ACTU AL LY I N THE PROC ESS OF FORM ATI ON FEATU RE FOUND OCCASIONALL Y I N BY WEN TWORTH AND MACDON ALD 9 WHO SAY8 I-lA WAI 1--"BARNACLE STALAGM IT ES"-- "WH i L E THEY ARE ST I LL GLOW I NG HO T~ TH EY WH! CH FORM WHEN VER Y VI SCO US LAV A ARE SU FF ICO ENTL Y PLAS T OC TO SWAY F REELY I S SQUEEZED THROUGH CRACKS ! N THE DN BLAST OF GAS" ( 1953,P. 54) . WHEN WALL OR FLOOR OF A TUBE. I N ONE TH ESE STAL AC TI TES FORM i N TU BES THEV I-lAWA I I AN LAVA TUBE AT KALA UOKI P IT SOME TO MES DR I P TO A FOOT HI GH AND AS CRATER THERE ARE NEAR LY A DOZ EN SMALL MUCH AS 4 INCHES WI DE. WHEN STALA GM I TES CON i CAL CUPOLAS IN THE ROOF g PRO = AR E FOUND DORECTLY UNDER THE ST ALA CT DTES 9 BABL Y FORMED BY ESCAP I NG GAS o THI S THEY CAN ONL Y HAVE FORMED AFT ER THE LAVA TUBE HAS A MAX I MUM WID TH OF PAGE 96 THE TEXAS CAVER, AuGUST 1966 22 FEETj AND A MAXIMUM HEIGHT OF AcCORD I NG TO TURNER (1961~ Po41), 2 0 FEET . THE CUPOLAS RANGE WHEN GROUND WATER PASSES THROUGH ! N HE ! GHT FROM 1 TO 8 FEET (POWERS, ACID I C LAVA FLOWS OR SEDIMENTS 1922' p 0 6 38) 0 BEFORE ENTERING THE LAVA TUBE, QUARTZ POPCORN CAVE, A LAVA TUBE CAVE CRYSTALS OR EVEN, VERY RARELY, QUARTZ NEAR MTo SHASTA, IS DESCRIBED STALACTITES MAY FORM. DEPOSITS OF AS HAVING SMALL SPATTER CONES ON OPAL ARE SOMEWHAT MORE COMMON. ITS FLOOR. THE NAME OF THE CAVE SWARTZLOW AND KELLER (1937, Po 101) PROBABLY IS DERIVED FROM THE SURFACE DESCRIBE THE APPEARANCE OF OPAL A PPEARANC~ OF THE LAVA (HALLIDAY, 1962A, DEPOS I TS IN LABYRINTH GAVE AND P . 1 12). ANOTHER INTERESTING CATACOOMBS GAVE I N LAVA PEDS NA TI ONAL FEATURE IS FOUND ON THE FLOOR OF MoNUMENT AS BE I NG SIMILAR TO THE GREAT OWL CAVERN, A LAVA TUBE IN APPEARANCE OF ORGANIC CORAL OR CRATERS OF THE MOON NATIONAL THE CALCITE "CAVE CORAL" FOUND IN MoNUMENT . IN THIS CAVE AN ODD LIMESTONE CAVES. THE FORMATION OF PRESSURE Rl DGE WHICH EXTENDS ALMOST THESE DEPOS I TS OCCURS ONLY IN MOIST THE WHOLE LENGTH OF THE CAVE MAY BE CAVES, AND PARTICULARLY ON ROUGH SEEN I N THE CENTER OF THE FLOOR SURFACES WHERE THE BASALT FRAGMENTS (PECK, 19629 Po 31 ). ACT AS NUCLE i I FOR DEPOSITION OF THE MI NERAL MATTER. OPAL FORMS MINERAL i ZAT i ON I N LAVA CAVES: MOS TLY ON THE ROOF AND WALLS 9 BUT SOMET ! MES I T ALSO IS FOUND ON LAVA CAVES, PARTICULARLY THE THE FLOOR. WHEN IT DOES FORM ON THE SPATT ER CONE VARIETY, FRENQUENTLY CAVE FLOOR IT SEEMS TO COME FROM CONTA I NS DEPOSITS OF VARIOUS KINDS BELOW, RATHER THAN AS DRIP FROM OF MINERALS, AMONG THEM CALCITE, THE ROOF • ARAGONI T E 9 GYPSUM, QUARTZ, OPAL, WHERE CIRCULATION OF THE WATER MI NAB I LITE, THENARDITE, JAROSITE, !S FREE AND RAPID ~HE OPAL ASSUMES AND ZEOLITES. THESE MINERALS ARE A BOTRYOIDAL CHARACTER, BUT WHERE THE RESULT OF GROUND WATER PER THERE IS ENOUGH MOISTURE TO CAUSE COLA TING THROUGH THE POROUS BASALT. DRIPPING OF WAT~R, TRUE STALACTITES SOME LAVA CAVES HAVE STALACTITES WILL SOMETJ MES FORM. IN RARE CASES AND STALAGMITES OF TRUE CALCITE HELICTITES, OR BRANCHING STALACTITES , AND ARAGON OTE.