WorldWide Drilling Resource

Alaska Miners Association Phone: 907-563-9229 Fax: 907-563-9225 ama@alaskaminers.org www.alaskaminers.org Northwest Mining Association Phone: 509-624-1158 Fax: 509-623-1241 nwma_info@nwma.org WorldWide Drilling Resource ® is proud to be a member of these mining associations. Women in Mining 866-537-9694 wim@womeninmining.org 51 JUNE 2014 California Caverns by Harry W. Short Engineering Geologist California Caverns is located in Calaveras County, Cal ifornia, near Mountain House, at elevation 1617 feet. Cave City Road takes you fromMountain House to the cavern. The cavern site was known by other names in the early years after its discovery. The cavern floods in the rainy season and tours are limited to the summer and early fall. California Caverns has an extensive system of speleothems and passage- ways. The rock bedding trends 25-45 degrees northwest and dips 40-60 de- grees southwest. Vertical joints strike northeast and dip steeply southeast. In the mid-1850s, Captain Joseph Taylor was target practicing on a rocky outcropping and noticed the vegetation was being moved by a breeze which seemed to emanate from the rocks. Upon investigation, he discovered the entrance to a cave which he named Mammoth Cave. Soon after his discovery, Captain Taylor opened the cave to the public. The original tours, though impres- sive, were shorter than they are to- day, sincemore of the cave system was discovered in later years. Early visitors included Bret Harte, Mark Twain, and John Muir who wrote about his visit in his 1894 book The Mountains of California . Marshall Bryden and Ralph Squire (correspondence July 19, 2013) who spent numerous weekends exploring the area, discovered a small room which was eventually named Cave City Cave. ”We thought the room might connect to Quill Cave, on the other side of the moun- tain, but were unable to make a break- through. Years later, Steve Fairchild used a digital thermometer to trace the air flow [and] made the breakthrough con- nection to the caves. Steve and Ralph reopened the Quill Cave entrance, which had been sealed earlier. Steve then estab- lished a crawl passage between them which is still used by the tours.” They entered the Cave City side and exited via the Quill Cave side. Steve Fairchild renamed the site the California Caverns since the two caves comprise a cavern system. Harry Harry Short may be contacted via e-mail at admin@ worldwidedrillingresource.com Tours start at the cavern office. It was called Cave City when I was there in 1997. Draperies and calcium carbonate straws, speleothems, in the cavern ceiling. Bedding in the ceiling of the cavern has been discolored by water. Large vertical lime- stone cavern formation called a speleothem. ! Have a great mining story? WWDR would love to hear from you. Submit stories to editorial@ worldwidedrillingresource.com WorldWide Drilling Resource ®