Martin Ridge Cave System facts for kids
The Martin Ridge Cave System is a huge cave. It is located in Kentucky, a state in the United States. This amazing cave system is very close to Mammoth Cave.
The Martin Ridge Cave System is actually made up of three connected caves. These are Whigpistle Cave, Martin Ridge Cave, and Jackpot Cave. Explorers have mapped over 55 kilometers (about 34 miles) of passages. This makes it the thirteenth-longest cave in the United States.
How the Cave Was Found
The first part of the Martin Ridge Cave System to be found was Whigpistle Cave. Rick Schwartz discovered its entrance in 1976. The National Park Service started mapping the cave. They wanted to learn more about how water flows underground in the area. This work was led by Jim Quinlan, who studied water in the park.
Why This Cave Is Important
The Martin Ridge Cave System is very long. So far, over 55 kilometers (about 34 miles) have been mapped. This makes it the third-longest cave in Kentucky. It is also the 11th-longest in the United States. Around the world, it ranks as the 47th-longest cave.
The cave also has a very large room called the Big Womb. This is probably the biggest cave chamber in Kentucky. The Big Womb is about 240 meters (787 feet) long. It is also 40 meters (131 feet) wide and 13 meters (43 feet) high.
Water flows between the Martin Ridge Cave System and nearby Mammoth Cave. Scientists have used special dyes to track water. They found that water from a river in Mammoth Cave flows into a river inside Martin Ridge Cave. There is still an unexplored section between the two caves. This part is underwater. Cave divers would need to explore it to see if the caves are fully connected.
Connecting the Caves
In 1994, explorers from the James Cave Project found Jackpot Cave. It was located to the east of the Whigpistle entrance. Their work helped map more than 5 kilometers (about 3 miles) of new cave passages.
Later, in 1996, two students from Western Kentucky University made big discoveries. Alan Glennon and Jon Jasper found a new entrance. They also explored about 12.5 kilometers (about 8 miles) of new cave passages. Their explorations led to important connections. In June 1996, they connected their new passages to Jackpot Cave. Then, in August 1996, they connected them to Whigpistle Cave.
Exploring Today
Explorers are still working to map and discover more of the Martin Ridge Cave System. A deep valley separates this cave system from Mammoth Cave. However, it might be possible for people to connect them. This connection would likely be in the lowest parts of the cave passages. Currently, there is at least a one-kilometer (3,300-foot) gap between the closest known parts of the two caves.
