Cadomin Cave facts for kids
Cadomin Cave is a natural cave made of limestone. It is found in the Canadian Rockies, close to the town of Cadomin, Alberta. This amazing cave is named after the nearby town of Cadomin. The town's name comes from the Canada Dominion Mining company.
Where is Cadomin Cave?
Cadomin Cave is located inside Leyland Mountain. It sits high up, at about 1,890 meters (6,200 feet) above sea level. The cave was formed within thick layers of limestone rock. These rocks are part of something called the Palliser Formation.
The cave has different parts. There's an upper section with large, open passages. These passages were shaped by water filling the cave completely. Some parts are also "keyhole-shaped," meaning they are narrow at the bottom and wider at the top. Below these, there are smaller passages. You have to crawl through tight spots to get between them. So far, only one entrance to the cave is known.
Exploring the Cave
People have known about Cadomin Cave since the early 1900s. This was when explorers started looking for coal in the area. But it's very likely that Indigenous peoples knew about the cave long before that.
The first detailed map of the cave was made in 1959. This was even before Canada had many caving clubs. This map showed the upper parts of the cave. It went as far as a main room called the Mess Hall.
Later, in 1977 and 1978, a lower section of the cave was found. Members of the Alberta Speleological Society explored and mapped these new passages. This discovery made the cave much longer. Its measured length grew to 1,704 meters (5,591 feet). Its depth also increased to 171 meters (561 feet).
More explorations happened after that. In 1982, a beautiful area called the Crystal Crawls was discovered. People also tried to dive into a water-filled passage, but they weren't successful. Because of all these efforts, the cave's total measured length is now 2,791 meters (9,157 feet). Its deepest point is 220 meters (722 feet) down.
Protecting the Cave Environment
For over 100 years, the easy-to-reach parts of Cadomin Cave have been popular. Many local people and visitors have explored them. Sadly, these parts are also some of the most damaged caves in the Canadian Rockies. People have left garbage and graffiti.
To help protect the cave, the Alberta Speleological Society became its official caretakers in 1997. They work with Alberta Environment to keep the cave healthy. They regularly clean up trash and remove graffiti. They also help count the bats living in the cave.
In 1999, Cadomin Cave became part of the new Whitehorse Wildlands Provincial Park. This gave it more protection. The cave is also an important winter home for Little Brown Bats. These bats sleep there during the cold months. Because of this, people are not allowed to enter the cave from early September until early May.
A serious bat disease called White nose syndrome is expected to reach the area soon. To protect the bats, the cave was officially closed to people on May 14, 2010. A special gate will be put in place. This gate will stop people from entering but will still let bats fly in and out freely.
See also
In Spanish: Cueva Cadomin para niños
