In the Siskiyou mountains at 4,000 feet exists one of the few marble caves in the National Park Service. On this episode of Podcasts with Park Rangers, we explore the unique features of Oregon Caves National Monument you can find strange geology, go wild caving, and visit the only Wild and Scenic river underground called the River Styx.

 
Show Notes found at: https://www.virtualkamper.com/pwpr25/
Help keep the show on the road: https://www.patreon.com/virtualkamper/

Podcast Resources:

* Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve – NPS Website
* Full-Time Freedom Week
* National Wild and Scenic Rivers
* Episode 1 – Carlsbad Caverns: Finding Peace in the Darkness
* Episode 2 – Carlsbad Caverns: Bats, Caves and Microbe Wars

Topics Covered

* About Ranger Katie Dagastino
* About Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve
* How the Oregon Caves Are Formed
* 1874 – The Caves Are Discovered
* The River Styx
* Wild Caving at Oregon Caves National Monument
* Unique Ecosystems at Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve
* Early 1900’s Cavemen?
* Bats in Oregon Caves National Monument
* Katie’s Interest in Oregon Caves National Monument and the NPS
* Thanks to Our Listeners – Let’s Connect More!

About Ranger Katie Dagastino
Ranger Katie works with both the Forest Service and the National Park Service. With the NPS, she’s been at Oregon Caves National Monument for 3 seasons. Her background in geology gives her a unique perspective on the park, and she guides tours within the caves all summer long.
About Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve
Oregon Caves is located at 4000 feet above sea level in the Siskiyous, a sub range of the Klamath Mountains in Southwest Oregon. The area is home to 30 different types of rocks and minerals.
Many of the rocks found around the caves are found at the bottom of oceans or come from volcanoes. This includes serpentine rocks which are toxic when they break down, so plants and animals in the area are adapted to survive the poisonous conditions of the environment.
How the Oregon Caves Are Formed
The caves themselves are solution caves formed via carbonic acid and are much more intimate compared to a larger cave like Carlsbad Caverns. Cave decorations are formed via calcite.
The Oregon Caves are some of the few in the Park System formed out of marble. Around 250 million years ago, the modern day caves laid under the Pacific Ocean. Bacterial reefs formed and eventually become a sedimentary rock. The heat and pressure underneath the surface created metamorphic marble,