Rene Ohms, Adam Weaver, Brian Kendrick and Stan Allison ended their survey at station SRS730 previously visited in April, 2013. Note: Station SRS1 is located at the discovery point of Snowy River following a dig through a complex passage connecting to the historical cave and the single entrance.

 

This image shows the new SRS731 station being set up in the continuation of the southern Snowy River Passage on July 1, 2022.

Rene Ohms is using a protractor tool for a profile sketch near SRS732. For complex caves often the floor sketch takes the most time and the profile sketch is done by others.

Near SRS732 the Snowy River deposit can be seen at a slightly lower level in the passageway.

Leading the way was the trip leader for this exploration trip – Adam Weaver, from South Dakota.

The Snowy River passage is sometimes interrupted by a breakdown collapse. A breakdown collapse is a place where parts of the ceiling have fallen and piled up on the floor. To continue, the explorers have to climb up over the “breakdown pile”. Derek Wolfe, from Colorado was the chief sketcher for the team – In the background is Rene Ohms, from South Dakota.

Near SRS735 Renee is using the DistoX2 instrument to make the forward compass reading. Derek is in the background sketching. The yellow ceiling layer is fairly common in this cave.

 

Rare and delicate gypsum flowers near SRS736. Gypsum flowers appear to be extruded from the cave walls like toothpaste out of a tube. For scale, the tendrils are likely around 1/8” in diameter.

Near SRS738 the cavers continue in "dirty mode" since the Snowy River calcite is on a lower level.

 

When the team reaches a smaller "lead" the sketch is marked for future investigation in order to continue along the major path.

More gypsum flowers near SRS740.

 

 

Derek and Rene conferring on how best to describe the passage while Adam scouts ahead for the next station.

 

At SRS745 these dramatic, but confusing ripple marks on the floor indicated that water flowed through this passage at some point.

This feature was named Sue Falls where the Snowy River deposit “flows” over a ledge. The black coating is ferro-manganese (a combination of iron and manganese), and is the result of exotic microbes that live on the rocks in the cave, leaving behind a black coating. These microbes are known as extremophiles, and live in the cave and nowhere else, surviving without using photosynthesis. Many of these ferromanganese coatings represent intermittent
flooding prior to the start of Snowy River flows, approximately 750-800 years ago. They do not appear to be active today (to judge by non-replacement where the black coating has peeled off walls). Yet we've read that the speleo-microbiologists have been able to culture manganese-oxidizing microbes from FSC deposits -- can these "wake up" after hundreds or thousands of years of dormancy?

At SRS745 these dramatic, but confusing ripple marks on the floor indicated that water flowed through this passage at some point. Flushing of old sediment has undercut a flowstone floor,
leaving a spectacularly overhanging shell.

The FSCSP acknowledges the support and cooperation of the BLM, the USFS and selected private individuals in the development of this map. No warranty is made by the Fort Stanton Cave Study Project as to the accuracy, reliability or completeness of this data for individual use with other data, or for purposes not intended by the FSCSP. Spatial information may not meet National Map Accuracy Standards. This information is subject to change without notification.