By Laura Keil
A cave discovered this year in B.C.’s Wells Gray Provincial Park may be the largest in Canada, geologists say.
As the snow receded this spring, a Ministry of Environment helicopter crew spotted the gaping hole in the high alpine north of Clearwater, BC, while conducting a caribou count.
Geologist Catherine Hickson – who visited the cave in September – told the Canadian Press it is a “significant” geological find.
The mouth of the cave is about 100m long by 60 metres wide – roughly the size of a soccer field – with an estimated depth of at least 135m.
Hickson told the Canadian Press the cave is a type of “striped karst,” which is a combination of marble and other ancient ocean rock.
Geologists are currently keeping the exact location a secret in order to preserve the integrity of the site.
While the discoverers have dubbed the new cave “Sarlacc’s Pit” – a Star Wars reference – an official name will be determined after consultation with First Nations.
