I Went For A Hike In A Lava Tube In Craters Of The Moon National Monument

I woke up at the crack of dawn to explore Craters of the Moon National Monument and specifically the lava tube called Indian Tunnel. At first glance, the terrain appeared shapeless, formless and austere. It wasn't. I started to look more closely and began to appreciate the unique geology and lava structures.

It was so quiet and peaceful that I decided to walk in silence and record the experience. I hope that you enjoy it.

Indian Tunnel (from the NPS website https://www.nps.gov/crmo/index.htm) As the hot, fluid pahoehoe lava flows across the surface it forms rivers and channels. As the surface of the molten lava comes in contact with the cooler air, the surface of the lava starts to harden and the flow quickly "crusts" over. Hot lava continues to flow beneath the crust. When the eruption ends and the supply of lava stops, the lava drains out from beneath the crust leaving an empty tunnel or tube. Being the largest lava tube in the caves area, Indian Tunnel is over 30 feet high, 50 feet wide, and approximately 800 feet long. Indian Tunnel contains many of the features common to all lava tubes. On the ceiling of the tube you can see lava stalactites formed as the river of lava pulled away from the ceiling, and molten material began to drip from the hot ceiling. The amount of lava flowing in a tube fluctuates over the course of an eruption. If the activity at the vent increases, the amount of lava flowing into the tube may increase. This rise and fall of lava levels left marks on the walls of Indian Tunnel. If you look closely at the walls, you can see long linear ridges, called tide marks. These ridges show where the flowing river of lava temporarily held at a constant level long enough for deposits of lava to accumulate on the wall. Since geologists cannot easily observe what happens inside a lava tube during an eruption, they can only speculate on how many features are formed. Most agree that during an eruption, lava tubes are often in a constant state of change. They can form only to be destroyed by the formation of new tubes. Tubes can even burst if the eruption pours more lava into the tube than the tube can hold, splitting it down the middle, like a loaf of bread in the oven. Several forms of life can be found in Indian Tunnel today. In tubes with skylights, sunlight reaches into the cave and allows yellow and green mosses and lichens to grow on the moist, dimly lit walls. Small animals such as squirrels, chipmunks, and packrats make their home in the cave. Cavity nesting birds, such as violet-green swallows, find plenty of nesting cavities in the cracks of the rock that form the rim of the skylights. Great-horned owls may also nest on the numerous ledges found in Indian Tunnel. #hiking #cratersofthemoon #idaho