Lechuguilla Cave is, as of June 2013, with 138.3 miles (222.6 km) the seventh-longest explored cave in the world and the deepest in the continental United States (1,604 feet or 489 meters), but it is most famous for its unusual geology, rare formations, and pristine condition. The cave is named for Agave lechuguilla, a species of plant found near its entrance. Lechuguilla is in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico. Access to the cave is limited to approved scientific researchers, survey and exploration teams, and National Park Service management-related trips.Lechuguilla Cave was known until 1986 as a small, insignificant historic site in the park's back country. Small amounts of bat guano were mined from the entrance passages for a year under a mining claim filed in 1914. The historic cave contained a 90-foot (27 m) entrance pit known as Misery Hole, which led to 400 feet (122 m) of dry dead-end passages. The cave was visited infrequently after mining activities ceased. However, in the 1950s, cavers heard wind roaring up from the rubble-choked cave floor. Although there was no obvious route, people concluded that cave passages lay below the rubble. A group of Colorado cavers gained permission from the National Park Service and began digging in 1984. The breakthrough, into large walking passages, occurred on May 26, 1986. Since 1986, explorers have mapped over 130 miles (210 km) of passages and have pushed the depth of the cave to 1,604 feet (489 m), ranking Lechuguilla as the 7th-longest cave in the world (4th-longest in the United States) and the deepest limestone cave in the country. Cavers, drawn by the caves' pristine condition and rare beauty, come from around the world to explore and map its passages and geology.
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