description Thunderbolt Cave Overview
Thunderbolt Cave is a lava tube in Lava Beds National Monument in northern California. It is a moderately long, single-passage cave with angular, zigzagging corridors that reflect the irregular shape of the original lava channel. Like other caves in the monument, it formed in basaltic lava and preserves features created as the flow's outer crust cooled and its molten interior drained away.
help Thunderbolt Cave FAQ
How long is Thunderbolt Cave?
The National Park Service lists Thunderbolt Cave at 2,561 feet long. It is a single-passage lava tube in Lava Beds National Monument in northern California.
Why does Thunderbolt Cave have angular corridors?
Its zigzagging passage reflects the irregular shape of the original lava channel. The tube formed when the surface of a basalt flow cooled and the molten lava beneath it drained away.
Where is Thunderbolt Cave?
Thunderbolt Cave is in Lava Beds National Monument near the Medicine Lake volcanic field in northern California. The monument protects one of the largest concentrations of lava-tube caves in the United States.
Is Thunderbolt Cave the same cave as Lava Brook Cave?
They are listed as separate cave names, although nearby passages in the Lava Beds system can connect or be treated as parts of a larger network. The National Park Service gives Thunderbolt Cave its own listed length of 2,561 feet.
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