Mapping The Grand Canyon’s Secret Caves Has Uncovered a Massive Network

You don't usually think of massive underground caverns full of water when you think of the Grand Canyon but that is one of the secrets the National Park holds. Recently Norther Arizona University spent time mapping these hidden caves.

The Hidden Waterways Beneath the Surface

It is no secret that the Colorado River funnels water from Colorado and Utah through the Canyon in Arizona, however, the water that soaks from the rim down through the rock is only just getting mapped.

Roaring Springs is one of 600 springs in this National Park and is one of the biggest. In 1928 he men who first explored the cave where the spring comes from went in for two miles underground and it kept going.

They described stalactites and stalagmites and large caverns with water going down thirty feet. They would have continued past if they had a boat and could have gotten past a cave in.

Impact of Surface Conditions on Underground Systems

They thought at the time that it could be a place tourists could visit in park provided boats. That was decided against and the entrance was barred. This is the area researchers from NAU visited to map the underground caves.

They have discovered how much this underground system is effected by conditions on the surface. Drought or even contamination can create problems in this underground water source.

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When you visit the Grand Canyon and enjoy the amazing vistas, you don't realize the huge caverns carved out by water below your feet. Mapping this honeycomb behind the cliffs has been the work of these researchers.