Jewel Cave Survey

[Rock]

Jewel Cave getting bigger all the time
Associated Press

"CUSTER, S.D. - Explorers have added to the official length of Jewel Cave, moving it to second place on the list of the world's longest known caves."

www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/13879279.htm

[L Roebuck]

Jewel Cave
CUSTER, S.D. -- Explorers have added to the official length of Jewel Cave, moving it to second place on the list of the world's longest-known caves.

A recent four-day trip past cave landmarks like the Miseries and the End pushed the known length of the cave in southwest South Dakota to 135 miles and 10 feet.

The official length of a cave is not the distance between points, but rather the cumulative distance of all explored and mapped passages, said Todd Suess, superintendent of Jewel Cave National Monument.

On the longer multi-day explorations, cavers may spend six to eight hours traveling from the entrance to a main camp deep inside the cave. Then it's another three hours to the unexplored areas, where they'll work for six to eight hours, and then return to the main camp, the National Park Service said.

Other cave explorations are single-day trips, but they also can be productive.

A National Park Service cave specialist from New Mexico joined three Black Hills area cavers on the most recent extended exploration.

Mapping boundaries of the cave is important in order to protect it from aboveground activities like pesticide use or drilling that can affect the ecological balance in the cave, said Suess.

Shorter, less intensive, scenic tours of the cave are offered to casual visitors -- no spelunking experience necessary. Call [phone], ext. 1220, for details.

The longest known cave in the world is Mammoth in Kentucky.

www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2006/02/24/sports/outdoors/iq_3311665.txt