Lava River Cave, Lava tube show cave in Deschutes County, United States.
Lava River Cave is a lava tube whose main section runs 5,211 feet (1,588 m) northwest from a collapsed roof opening, passing beneath Highway 97. The photograph shows the interior as a wide passage of rough black and dark brown rock, its walls curving inward to a rounded ceiling, with a flat sandy floor and pale light entering through a smaller opening ahead.
The tunnel formed around 80,000 years ago when molten rock from Newberry Volcano flowed beneath the surface and hardened. The outer layer cooled and formed a solid roof, while the inner lava kept moving and left a hollow passage.
The cave lies within the Deschutes National Forest and serves as a learning site about Oregon volcanism. Rangers offer programs that show visitors how lava tubes form and what they reveal about Earth history.
The temperature inside stays around 4 degrees Celsius year-round, so warm clothing is necessary. Visitors must bring their own flashlights, as the interior is completely dark with no installed lighting.
The cave's name comes from a 1923 geology study by Ira A. Williams, which also produced the first map of the tube. Leander Dillman is credited with finding the opening in 1889, reportedly while following a wounded deer, and he later used the cave to cool venison. Obsidian flakes found near the entrance show Native Americans knew the cave long before settlers.
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