Lehman Caves
Lehman Caves
Lehman Caves
In 1885
Absalom Lehman
entered a
cave opening on his ranch and as he got into the cave found his way
blocked by calcite formations. He left the cave and then returned
with a sledge hammer that he used to bust through the stalagmites and
stalactites that stopped him from going deeper into the cave. With
his lantern in hand he made his way deeper and deeper into a cave
that now bears his name. Newspapers told the story and soon Lehman
was in the cave tour business.
The Lehman Caves were formed in limestone when the water table was much higher. Limestone being a porous rock allowed water to infiltrate it. The acidity in the water dissolved the limestone over thousands of years forming caves full of water. When the area became drier the water that had filled the cave drained. Water continued to seep into the cave at a much slower pace, dripping from the ceiling. This water contains the mineral calcite that it acquires through a chemical reaction involving Carbonic acid and carbon dioxide. As the water drips from the ceiling it leaves behind a little of the calcite and as time passes the calcite slowly builds stalactites, which hang from the ceiling and stalagmites which build up from the floor. This process takes hundreds and thousands of years. When the stalactites and stalagmites build until they touch, they form what is called a column.
Stalactite and wall decorations in Lehman Caves.
It can take 100 years for a stalactite to grow 1 inch!
Stalactites and "straws" hang from the ceiling.
Straws are hollow tubes that form on the
ceiling as the water drips , they
eventually form stalactites.
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