There are hidden gems all over this great country of ours. Those lesser known spots and sights known only to the locals or very few. It is those secrets our planet holds that most attract us. One such spot lies underneath the Hill Country of Texas: The Natural Bridge Caverns.
In March of 1960, four college students from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, obtained permission to explore the area that is now Natural Bridge Caverns. The students were convinced that large underground passages existed under the amazing 60-foot limestone bridge. On their fourth expedition, one explorer felt a cool draft from a rubble-filled crawl way. Such air currents often indicate the presence of additional rooms or passages. They discovered two miles of vast caverns.
The caverns are formed by different layers of limestone. Geologists theorize that during the Cretaceous period, a warm, shallow sea covered much of Texas. Sediments and dead marine organisms collected on the ocean floor, compacted and formed the different limestone layers. Perhaps around 20 million years ago, a number of faults formed in Texas due to settling of the coastal regions and created faults. The cavern formed by an underground “river” moving slowly through cracks and pores within the limestone. Rainwater seeping through cracks started dissolving the limestone. In time, the original narrow cracks or joints enlarged to form huge underground conduits or passages.
It is incredible that such beauty can form so deep underground and that if it weren’t for four tenacious college students, we may have never been able to experience God’s gift of Hill Country.
Beautiful Nature!
That is awesome. It seems to have a different kind of look than Carlsbad.