Carlsbad Caverns - Carlsbad Caverns passages and rooms

Carlsbad Caverns has irregularly shaped passages and rooms. These spaces formed by the dissolution of limestone below the groundwater table. The groundwater was naturally enriched with sulfuric acid, which reacted chemically with the limestone. Fairly recently in the geologic history of the region, the water table dropped below the level of the caverns, allowing the rooms and passages to drain. Only then could the beautiful speleothems begin to form on the walls and floors of the empty passages.