A photo of Valentine Cave

Valentine Cave (lava tube) gets its name for a dual passage near its entrance that has a heart-shaped appearance. Note the lack of breakdown on the floor of the passage and the lava-cicles on the ceiling. The dual passage may have formed from a boulder or collapsed piece of ceiling that became lodged in the lava tube. Flowing lava eventually created a smooth round passage around the obstruction. Nine major lava tupe systems formed in, or pass through, Lava Beds National Monument (Larson, 1992).