To get to the underground lake from downtown
Moncton, head toward Riverview on the South side of the
Petitcodiac, immediately on the Riverview side of the bridge, set
your km counter to zero. Turn left, and drive 26 km on Route 114,
which leads to Fundy Park. Turn right at the "Albert Mines" road
sign. Follow the Albert Mines road for 5.7 kilometres. At this
point you will see a gypsum quarry on your right. At the next
telephone pole on your right just past this quarry, turn right onto
the narrow dirt road. Go 1 km. Just past the downhill "S" curve in
the road, turn left off the road and park at N 45° 51.514 W 064°
40.447.
Now, dial in your
coordinates for the underground lake and follow the trail. There
will be a hop across a shallow river, and some short, steep ascents
and descents which are made easy by the use of ropes lashed along
the trail. In about 10 minutes, you'll come to an imposing vertical
cliff face on the right side of the path. The cavern lies at the
bottom of the steep slope facing this cliff. You'll need to
scramble down to get there.
The Underground Lake is a moderately sized,
active gypsum cave formed by partial collapse of a major
dissolution cell. The main chamber is approximately half flooded
with water and contains an active overflow stream in a small side
passage. The cave is found in a line of sinkholes at the base of a
30 meter cliff. The cave is entered by going down a 45 degree scree
field. The scree is composed of large smooth pieces of gypsum
covered with a thin layer of mud. It is extremely slippery and
requires a rope for protection from a slip. Once the cave is
entered the scree is not as steep and composed of pea size fairly
dry rock. The cave is formed in one of New Brunswick's most
important Mississippian gypsum deposits. Dating back to the 1800's
the district has been the center of an active gypsum industry, but
the recent economic down turn of the gypsum industry in this part
of New Brunswick has resulted in the 1980 abandonment of the areas'
quarries. The gypsum that is exposed is a gray to white rock formed
in a shallow sea 300 million years ago.
To log this earthcache, please complete
the following:
(1) Take a picture of
yourself with your GPSr, in the cave or at the cave opening. (like
the one of the cute kids above)
(2) Once your eyes adjust, estimate the
surface dimensions of the underground lake, and
(3) tell me why there are no stalagmites or
stalagtites within the cave.
