The Caverns of Sonora Mysteries

[L Roebuck]

Mysteries at The Caverns of Sonora

Professional cavers and hobbyists – spelunkers – alike admire the Caverns of Sonora, 15 miles west of Sonora, Texas, for their display of virtually untouched natural beauty just below the surface. Stalagmites and stalactites, cave bacon, and other formations, or speleothems (SPEE-lee-ohth-EM), are on display in vast quantities.

The beauty and significance of these formations begin with the understanding that thousands of years of dripping, calcium-rich water feeds crystalline gardens and glassy facades to create a kaleidoscope of fantastic shapes. The growth of only one inch of material in a speleothem requires 100 to 150 years.

The Caverns of Sonora are unique because of their location above the Edwards-Trinity aquifer, yet winding through the deep limestone crust that covers the entire region. These conditions have allowed a surprising abundance of spectacular shapes and types of formations to grow in the Caverns, more so than in other caves on display throughout the country. The Caverns of Sonora are truly a unique treasure to this area, and are designated a National Natural Landmark.

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[Brian Roebuck]

That's a good article with information of the cave history, exploration, and of course the broken "butterfly" formation. There several good photos as well. This is one of the must see caves if you are ever nearby.

[Sharon Faulkner]

The staff at the Caverns has a theory. A group of young adults visited the Caverns together for a tour. Near the Butterfly formation, a member of the party created a distraction for the tour guide. With the supervision distracted, a member of the party crawled over the railing in front of The Butterfly and broke off 2/3’s of the Butterfly’s right wing and pocketed it.

A second group that seemed to be affiliated with the first group went on the next tour to seemingly photograph the damage. The damage was not discovered until the second tour, and the managers of the Caverns did not connect the dots until reviewing the day’s events for a police report later that day. The Caverns staff discovered that both groups of young adults used the same credit card to pay for the tours.

According to Sawyer, a member of the first party called the Caverns office from Ozona looking for the second party when they were still inside the cave.

This is the first I've read about a second group suspected of being in on the vandalism. Maybe I missed that part earlier. Sure would be nice to see the culprits caught, but I suppose the better option would be if the stolen piece was returned so the butterfly could be repaired.