The Lava River Cave near
Bend, Oregon
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, with a population of 99,178 at the time of the 2020 U.S ...
, is part of the
Newberry National Volcanic Monument
Newberry National Volcanic Monument was designated on November 5, 1990, to protect the area around the Newberry Volcano in the U.S. state of Oregon. The monument was created within the boundaries of the Deschutes National Forest, which is managed ...
, which is managed by the
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...
. At in length, the northwest section of the cave is the longest continuous
lava tube
A lava tube, or pyroduct, is a natural conduit formed by flowing lava from a volcanic vent that moves beneath the hardened surface of a lava flow. If lava in the tube empties, it will leave a cave.
Formation
A lava tube is a type of lava ca ...
in
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
. While the cave's discovery in 1889 was officially credited to a pioneer hunter, the presence of
obsidian
Obsidian () is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock.
Obsidian is produced from felsic lava, rich in the lighter elements s ...
flakes near the cave has led archaeologists to conclude that
Native Americans knew about the cave long before settlers arrived in central Oregon.
Geology
The
eruption
Several types of volcanic eruptions—during which lava, tephra (ash, lapilli, volcanic bombs and volcanic blocks), and assorted gases are expelled from a volcanic vent or fissure—have been distinguished by volcanologists. These are often ...
which formed the Lava River Cave occurred about 80,000 years ago. The source is believed to be near Mokst Butte southeast of the entrance. The same volcanic flow that formed the cave underlies much of the Bend area and almost reaches
Redmond, Oregon
Redmond is a city in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. Incorporated on July 6, 1910, the city is on the eastern side of Oregon's Cascade Range, in the High Desert in Central Oregon. From Redmond there is access to recreational opportunit ...
. However, the specific vent that created the cave has been buried by several younger flows.
["Lava River Cave Geologic Site"](_blank)
Deschutes National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Bend, Oregon, 20 November 2003.
The Lava River Cave was created by lava flowing downhill from a
volcanic vent
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...
. The lava flowed northwest from the vent toward the
Deschutes River Deschutes River may refer to:
*Deschutes River (Oregon)
The Deschutes River in central Oregon is a major tributary of the Columbia River. The river provides much of the drainage on the eastern side of the Cascade Range in Oregon, gathering many ...
. The flow began as a river of lava flowing in an open channel. Eventually, a lava crust solidified over the top of the flowing lava. This formed a roof over the river, enclosing it in a lava tunnel or tube. When the eruption from the vent stopped, the lava drained out of the tube leaving a lava tube cave behind. After the cave cooled, a section of its roof collapsed. This collapsed section provided the entrance to both the uphill (southeast) and downhill (northwest) cave sections.
["Lava River Cave - Commonly Asked Questions"](_blank)
Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Deschutes National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Bend, Oregon, 20 November 2003.
The area around the Lava River Cave receives about of precipitation per year. Over the centuries, water from rainfall and snow melt has seeped down through the soil and cracks in the cave roof depositing sand on the cave floor. Small rivulets of water carry the sand downhill, plugging the far end of the cave with sediment. As a result, it is unknown how far the cave actually extends beyond the sand plug.
Environment
The Lava River Cave is located south of Bend on the east side of
Highway 97
Route 97, or Highway 97, may refer to:
Australia
- Olympic Dam Highway, South Australia
Canada
* British Columbia Highway 97
** British Columbia Highway 97A
** British Columbia Highway 97B
** British Columbia Highway 97C
** British Columb ...
. It is part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, which is managed by the Forest Service as part of the
Deschutes National Forest
The Deschutes National Forest is a United States National Forest located in parts of Deschutes, Klamath, Lake, and Jefferson counties in central Oregon. It comprises along the east side of the Cascade Range. In 1908, the Deschutes National ...
.
["Lava River Cave Explore the Inside of the Earth", Lava Lands Visitor Center, Northwest Interpretive Association in cooperation with Deschutes National Forest, Bend, Oregon, 1988.]["Lava River Cave Day Use"](_blank)
Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Deschutes National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Bend, Oregon, 20 November 2003.
The forest surrounding the cave entrance is dominated by large
ponderosa pine
''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is the ...
trees with
sagebrush
Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus ''Artemisia''. The best known sagebrush is the shrub ''Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrushes are native to the North American west.
Following is an alph ...
,
manzanita
Manzanita is a common name for many species of the genus ''Arctostaphylos''. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees present in the chaparral biome of western North America, where they occur from Southern British Columbia and Washington to Or ...
,
bitterbrush
''Purshia'' (bitterbrush or cliff-rose) is a small genus of 5–8 species of flowering plants in the family Rosaceae which are native to western North America.
Description
''Purshia'' species form deciduous or evergreen shrubs, typically reach ...
,
snowbrush, and
chokecherries
''Prunus virginiana'', commonly called bitter-berry, chokecherry, Virginia bird cherry, and western chokecherry (also black chokecherry for ''P. virginiana'' var. ''demissa''), is a species of bird cherry (''Prunus'' subgenus ''Padus'') nat ...
as the main ground cover. Along the short path leading from the forest floor down to the cave entrance, visitors will also find
serviceberry
''Amelanchier'' ( ), also known as shadbush, shadwood or shadblow, serviceberry or sarvisberry (or just sarvis), juneberry, saskatoon, sugarplum, wild-plum or chuckley pear,A Digital Flora of Newfoundland and Labrador Vascular Plants/ref> is a g ...
,
false Solomon seal, squaw
currant,
Oregon grape
''Mahonia aquifolium'', the Oregon grape or holly-leaved barberry, is a species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, native to western North America. It is an evergreen shrub growing tall and wide, with pinnate leaves consisting of sp ...
, and small
willow
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...
trees.
Animals common in the forest around the cave include
golden-mantled ground squirrel
The golden-mantled ground squirrel (''Callospermophilus lateralis'') is a ground squirrel native to western North America. It is distributed in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and Alberta, and through much of the western United States.
...
s,
chipmunk
Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of the family Sciuridae. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia.
Taxonomy and systematics
Chipmunks may be classified either as ...
s,
western gray squirrel
The western gray squirrel (''Sciurus griseus'') is a tree squirrel found along the western coast of the United States and Mexico. In some places, this species has also been known as the silver-gray squirrel, the California gray squirrel, the Or ...
s,
porcupine
Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family, Erethizont ...
s,
weasel
Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender bo ...
s,
pine marten
The European pine marten (''Martes martes''), also known as the pine marten, is a mustelid native to and widespread in most of Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus and parts of Iran, Iraq and Syria. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. ...
s, and
mule deer
The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer.
Unlike the related whit ...
. In 1991, park personnel observed a full-grown
cougar
The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large Felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its Species distribution, range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mamm ...
run out of the cave entrance area, but that was a single sighting. There is also a wide range of resident and migratory bird species common to the area. Small resident birds include
wren
Wrens are a family of brown passerine birds in the predominantly New World family Troglodytidae. The family includes 88 species divided into 19 genera. Only the Eurasian wren occurs in the Old World, where, in Anglophone regions, it is commonly ...
s,
robins,
junco
A junco , genus ''Junco'', is a small North American bird in the New World sparrow family Passerellidae. Junco systematics are still confusing after decades of research, with various authors accepting between three and twelve species. Despit ...
s,
thrushes,
woodpecker
Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. ...
s,
sapsucker
The sapsuckers are species of North American woodpeckers in the genus ''Sphyrapicus''.
Taxonomy and systematics
The genus ''Sphyrapicus'' was introduced in 1858 by the American naturalist Spencer Baird with the yellow-bellied sapsucker (''Sphyra ...
s,
red-shafted flicker
The northern flicker or common flicker (''Colaptes auratus'') is a medium-sized bird of the woodpecker family. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands, and is one of the few woodpecker speci ...
s, and
ruby-crowned kinglet
The ruby-crowned kinglet (''Corthylio calendula'') is a very small passerine bird found throughout North America. It is a member of the kinglet family. The bird has olive-green plumage with two white wing bars and a white eye-ring. Males have a r ...
s. Larger birds include
great horned owl
The great horned owl (''Bubo virginianus''), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air"), or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extrem ...
s,
red-tailed hawk
The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members with ...
s,
vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
s, and a few
golden eagle
The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...
s.
Forest Service biologists have identified several species of
harvestmen
The Opiliones (formerly Phalangida) are an order of arachnids colloquially known as harvestmen, harvesters, harvest spiders, or daddy longlegs. , over 6,650 species of harvestmen have been discovered worldwide, although the total number of ext ...
,
worm
Worms are many different distantly related bilateral animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body, no limbs, and no eyes (though not always).
Worms vary in size from microscopic to over in length for marine polychaete wor ...
s,
centipedes
Centipedes (from New Latin , "hundred", and Latin , "foot") are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda (Ancient Greek , ''kheilos'', lip, and New Latin suffix , "foot", describing the forcipules) of the subphylum Myriapoda, an a ...
, and
millipede
Millipedes are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name derived from this feature. Each double-legged segment is a resu ...
s that live inside the cave. The harvestmen within the cave are
Taracus marchingtoni, a newly described species endemic to the region.
There are also
mice
A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...
and
bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...
s that live in the cave year around. The cave's bat population is relatively small and the bats are very shy so visitors rarely see them. In fact, bats usually remain in
hibernation
Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It most ...
until July, and when active they are
nocturnal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...
so they are asleep during the day when the cave is open. If a bat is sighted, the Forest Service recommends that it be left undisturbed. Waking it from hibernation is extremely stressful, and can cause the bat to die from the sudden expenditure of energy.
History
The presence of obsidian flakes near the cave has led archaeologists to conclude that Native Americans knew about the caves long before any pioneers arrived in the
Oregon country
Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been created by the Treaty of 1818, co ...
. The first recorded discovery is credited to a local settler named Leander Dillman, who found the cave opening on a hunting trip in 1889. Legend has it that Dillman found the cave entrance while following a wounded deer. After its discovery, he used the cave to cool his venison. The cave acquired its name from a 1923 geology study published by Ira A. Williams. The study also provided the first map of the cave.
In 1938, the highway department announced an effort to resume digging efforts originally started by Emil Long to extend the cave beyond the dirt choke. It was speculated the cave could go all the way to
Benham Falls.
[
]
In 1926, the
Shevlin-Hixon Lumber Company donated the site around the cave entrance to the State of Oregon for a park. In 1981, the cave and above ground park area were acquired by the Forest Service as part of a land exchange with the State government. In November 1990, the cave was incorporated into the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. However, it is still managed by the Forest Service along with the rest of the Newberry monument area.
"Welcome"
Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Deschutes National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Bend, Oregon, 18 September 2008.
Cave tour
Lava River Cave runs in two directions from the entrance cleft. The main section runs gradually downhill in a northwesterly direction from the entrance, passing under Highway 97. This section of the cave is the longest known uncollapsed lava tube in Oregon.["Lava River Cave Trail -- Trail #3952"](_blank)
Deschutes National Forest, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Bend, Oregon, 24 March 2004 The other section extends southeast from the entrance. This section runs toward the source of the flow so it has a slight uphill grade. This section is not open to the public because of loose rocks in the ceiling. The mouth of the cave is at an elevation of above sea level. At its deepest point the cave is above sea level.
The cave's entrance appears as a large hole in the ground. At its mouth, the entrance trail drops suddenly over a jumble of volcanic rocks. This area is known as the ''Collapsed Corridor''. It is the result of ground water freezing in rock cracks in the ceiling. Loosened rocks eventually fall. Over the centuries, the fallen rocks have accumulated into a large boulder pile. Since freezing temperatures occurs only near the mouth of the cave, most rock-falls are in this area. To get down the rock pile, visitor must descend 126 steps with handrails for safety. At the bottom of the stairs is a large cool chamber where winter ice fills cracks in the floor and ice stalactites often cling to the ceiling until June.[Morris, Elizabeth and Mark Morris, ''Moon Oregon'', Avalon Travel Publishing, Emeryville, California, 2007, pp. 423-4.]
After a short walk, the ceiling reaches a height of . At this point, the width of the cave is . This massive volcanic archway is called ''Echo Hall''. The smooth walls are remarkably symmetrical so sounds echo in the huge chamber. In this section, remnants of the ancient lava flow's current can be seen molded in the tunnel walls. They appear as rounded over-hanging shelves and lateral markings etched in the walls. The end of this hall is about 1,500 feet (457 m) into the cave. At that point, the cave passes under Highway 97. The underground crossing is marked by a small sign post.
Beyond the Highway 97 marker, visitors enter an area called ''Low Bridge Lane''. In this area, the ceiling drops to less than six feet (1.8 m). This section of the cave was created after most of the molten lava had drained out of the cave leaving hot gases trapped in the interior of the tube. These gases re-heated the lava tube causing the tunnel walls to re-melt. As re-melted rocks cooled, the walls were left with a shiny, glazed surface. There are also volcanic stalactites in this area of the cave. These formations are sometimes called ''lavacicles''. They are found in two forms. Some are hollow cylindrically shaped soda straws, formed by escaping gases. The others are cone shaped drip pendants formed when re-melted lava dripped from the ceiling. At the end of Low Bridge area, the tube begins to narrow and the cave is divided into two tunnels with intermittent connecting passages. This is the ''Two Tube Tunnel'' section of the cave. Both tubes were probably active lava channel A lava channel is a stream of fluid lava contained within zones of static (i.e., solid and stationary) lava or lava levees. The initial channel may not contain levees per se, until the parental flow solidifies over what develops into the channel and ...
s at the same time; however, the upper channel eventually drained into the lower tube as the flow subsided.
One of the most unusual parts of the cave is the ''Sand Garden'', located about 3,000 feet (914 m) from the entrance. Here the floor of the cave is covered with sand. The sand was carried into the cave by dripping water. The sand is fine volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Mazama
Mount Mazama (''Giiwas'' in the Native American language Klamath language, Klamath) is a complex volcano in the state of Oregon, United States, in a segment of the Cascade Volcanoes, Cascade Volcanic Arc and Cascade Range. Most of the mountai ...
6,600 years ago. Rain and melting snow carried the ash down from the surface through cracks in the rock and deposited it on the floor of the cave one grain at a time. Occasionally, enough water leaks into the cave to create a pool. This allows the sand to spread out across the floor. At the Sand Garden, the constant dripping of water has carved spires and pinnacles in the sand. Since it takes hundreds of years to build these delicate sand forms, the Forest Service has fenced off the garden area to protect it. The 2,211 feet (674 m) of cave trail beyond the Sand Garden has a sandy floor. Along the way, the ceiling descends lower and lower until the sand fills the cave. The last 310 feet (95 m) of the cave was dug out of the sand plug by two men in the 1930s. Exploring this section of the cave requires visitors to crawl on hands and knees for much of the distance to the cave's end, and usually takes at least thirty minutes.
The air temperature at the mouth of the cave ranges from about 32 degrees to around 45 degrees Fahrenheit (-1 degrees to around 7 degrees Celsius) depending on the time of year. Inside the cave, it is a constant 42 degrees (5.6 degrees Celsius). As a result, the Forest Service strongly recommends that visitors wear a warm jacket while exploring the cave. Lanterns can be rented at the visitor center above the cave entrance. Personal lanterns are also permitted; however, in order to protect the cave's fragile environment, they cannot have glass globes or use kerosene or white gas. Battery powered lights are best, but they must provide reliable illumination for at least one hour.
References
External links
Lava River Cave Interpretive Site information
Newberry National Volcanic Monument
Deschutes National Forest
Oregon Field Guide program on "Ice Caves"
Lava River Cave video
{{authority control
Caves of Oregon
Landforms of Deschutes County, Oregon
Lava tubes
Show caves in the United States
Newberry National Volcanic Monument