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The Cody Caves are a network of
The story of Cody Caves began 600 million years ago when the limestone in which the caves later formed was laid down at the bottom of an ancient sea. Then, around 170 million years ago, the limestone beds were thrust upwards. This exposed the rock to the elements, water and carbonic acid, which eventually formed Cody Caves. Approximately of the Cody Caves passageways are explorable. The caves have several types of calcite formations, such as
BCGNIS entry "Cody Caves"
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
caves
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
in the Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. They are located north of Ainsworth Hot Springs
Ainsworth Hot Springs, previously named Ainsworth, is a historic village on Kootenay Lake in British Columbia, Canada and has a population of 20. Founded on May 31, 1883, it is the oldest surviving community on Kootenay Lake. Ainsworth Hot Springs ...
on the west side of Kootenay Lake.
First documented in the early 1890s, the caves became protected in July 1966 with the formation of the Cody Caves Provincial Park.
Cody Caves is one of the best-known cave systems in British Columbia, and Cody Caves Provincial Park was the first subterranean park created in the province.
Description
The story of Cody Caves began 600 million years ago when the limestone in which the caves later formed was laid down at the bottom of an ancient sea. Then, around 170 million years ago, the limestone beds were thrust upwards. This exposed the rock to the elements, water and carbonic acid, which eventually formed Cody Caves. Approximately of the Cody Caves passageways are explorable. The caves have several types of calcite formations, such as stalagmites
A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling")
is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically co ...
, stalactites, soda straw
A soda straw (or simply straw) is a speleothem in the form of a hollow mineral cylinder (geometry), cylindrical tube. They are also known as tubular stalactites. Soda straws grow in places where water leaches slowly through cracks in rock, such a ...
s and flowstone
Flowstones are sheetlike deposits of calcite or other carbonate minerals, formed where water flows down the walls or along the floors of a cave. They are typically found in "solution caves", in limestone, where they are the most common speleoth ...
. The boxwork is considered to be among the best in the world, protruding up to 20.3 cm, whereas 2.5 to 5 cm is average. These ancient formations have been growing at an average rate of one cubic centimetre per hundred years.
The Ainsworth Hot Springs originate in the Cody Caves area and are considered to be the best commercial hot springs in British Columbia. The temperatures vary from in the cave to in the pool.
History
The caves were likely known to localFirst Nations
First Nations or first peoples may refer to:
* Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.
Indigenous groups
*First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including:
**First Natio ...
people, but the first recorded visit was by prospector
Prospector may refer to:
Space exploration
* Prospector (spacecraft), a planned lunar probe, canceled in 1962
* '' Lunar Prospector'', a NASA spacecraft
Trains
* Prospector (train), a passenger train operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western ...
Henry Cody, who with hundreds of others had come to the Kootenays
The Kootenays or Kootenay ( ) is a region of southeastern British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Kutenai First Nations people.
Boundaries
The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Kootenay ...
looking for silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
. The caves gained popularity in 1899 when an article, ''The Noble Five'', was published in ''Argosy Magazine
''Argosy'', later titled ''The Argosy'', ''Argosy All-Story Weekly'' and ''The New Golden Argosy'', was an American pulp magazine from 1882 through 1978, published by Frank Munsey until its sale to Popular Publications in 1942. It is the first ...
'' describing the caves as being "lined with gold".
In 1908, the caves were visited by the Governor General of Canada
The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, ...
, Earl Grey
Earl Grey is a title in the peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1806 for General Charles Grey, 1st Baron Grey. In 1801, he was given the title Baron Grey of Howick in the County of Northumberland, and in 1806 he was created Viscou ...
.
To protect this valuable resource the Cody Caves Provincial Park was formed in July 1966. Due to the delicacy of cave formations, the caves can be explored by guided tour only.
Cody Caves is part of the setting for the children's novel, ''The Kootenay Kidnapper'', by BC novelist, Eric Wilson.
Modern day
Today, around 1000 visitors come to Cody Cave Provincial Park every summer. Visitors are guided through the cave on tours that vary in length with a professional guide. There are three tours available - Adventure, Explorer and Family. The caves are accessible to everyone, from expertcaver
Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology i ...
s to novice
A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience.
Religion Buddhism
...
s and families. Special school and group tours can also be arranged.
In June 2010, guided tours and cave access had been suspended. As of June 2013, access has been reinstated and guided tours begin once again. For Pro-active preventative measures against the spread of Bats White Nose Syndrome, Cave visitors are advised not to carry caving gear from areas east of the Rockies into any BC caves and encouraged to download and read the website's supplied documentation on White-Nose Syndrome and procedures for decontamination.
See also
*List of caves
This is a list of caves of the world that have articles or that are properly cited. They are sorted by continent and then country. Caves which are in overseas territories on a different continent than the home country are sorted by the territory' ...
*List of British Columbia Provincial Parks
The British Columbia Parks and Protected Areas System is the collection of physical properties owned or administered by BC Parks, an agency of the British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. These protected areas are ...
*List of hot springs
There are hot springs on all continents and in many countries around the world. Countries that are renowned for their hot springs include Turkey, Honduras, Canada, Chile, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Taiwan, New Zealand, India, Romania, Fiji ...
Notes
*BCGNIS entry "Cody Caves"
External links
* * {{coord, 49, 43, 35, N, 116, 57, 10, W, display=title Caves of British Columbia Limestone caves West Kootenay