With its long history in mining, Wyoming’s reputation for riches and treasure goes way back. However, not all of the valuable finds discovered underground in the Cowboy State have to do with gold, silver, and copper.
The proof of that has been discovered in a hidden cave in the Bighorn Mountains in the northern part of the state. For centuries, it lay undiscovered while continuing to add to its collection of riches. What scientists found when they finally began excavation inside of it is remarkable.
The Bighorn Mountain Range is a 200-mile-long spur off the Rocky Mountains in the northcentral part of Wyoming. It is there that scientists have unearthed a cave full of riches.
Google Maps Formed about 70 million years ago, the mountains have had ample time to amass a treasure.
The cave was originally discovered in the 1970s. At first glance, it simply looks like a hole in the ground, about 15 feet wide.
Bureau of Land Management/Flickr
Inside, however, the hole opens up to a cave about 120 feet wide and 85 feet deep. Any unfortunate animal or person who might fall into the cave would be trapped, even if they survived falling about 8 stories onto the hard earthen floor. Thus, it was dubbed the Natural Trap Cave.
Bureau of Land Management/Flickr
Recognizing that the hole was a hazard, the Bureau of Land Management covered the opening of the cave with a metal grate to keep people and animals from falling in.
Bureau of Land Management/Flickr
Initially, scientists did a bit of exploring and excavating in the cave. They were delighted and amazed to find that it was filled with the well-preserved remains of a variety of animals from various time periods - even as early as the Ice Age.
SourceFed/YouTube Teams of scientists only recently resumed their research in the Natural Trap Cave after securing funding in 2014.
With a near-constant level of humidity and a temperature that stays around 40 degrees, the environment inside the cave is perfect for preserving the remains of every animal that fell into it.
Bureau of Land Management/Flickr
The bones discovered in the cave are from mammoths, bison…
Yuxuan Wang/Flickr
…North American lions, grey wolves…
Dantheman9758/English Wikipedia/Wikipedia
…short-faced bears…
Travis/Flickr
…and even camels.
Christina Lappas/Flickr The cave is one of the richest finds in the U.S. of a single deposit of such varied fossils and animal bones, making it a treasure-trove for scientists. Some of the bones are so well-preserved that the collagen in them is still intact - giving researchers hope of extracting ancient DNA. This video provides an entertaining look at the discoveries in the Natural Trap Cave:
More and more history is being unearthed in the state every day. What remarkable finds in Wyoming have fascinated you?
Google Maps
Formed about 70 million years ago, the mountains have had ample time to amass a treasure.
Bureau of Land Management/Flickr
SourceFed/YouTube
Teams of scientists only recently resumed their research in the Natural Trap Cave after securing funding in 2014.
Yuxuan Wang/Flickr
Dantheman9758/English Wikipedia/Wikipedia
Travis/Flickr
Christina Lappas/Flickr
The cave is one of the richest finds in the U.S. of a single deposit of such varied fossils and animal bones, making it a treasure-trove for scientists. Some of the bones are so well-preserved that the collagen in them is still intact - giving researchers hope of extracting ancient DNA. This video provides an entertaining look at the discoveries in the Natural Trap Cave:
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