Oregon Couple Discover Large Lava Tube Underneath Their Home

BEND, OR– An Oregon couple have discovered a large lava tube on their property.

In 2017, Suzanne and James Brierley purchased the home that sits on a 10-acre lot in Bend. At the time, their real estate agent told them there was a small cave somewhere on the property, below the home.

However, they did not realize how extensive the cave really was, or that it was a lava tube, Newsweek reported.

The Brierleys contacted Oregon High Desert Grotto, a branch of the National Speleological Society, to help them explore the lava tube, according to the Newsweek report. The Oregon High Desert Grotto has not yet responded to Patch's request for comment.

Lava tubes are underground passageways created by lava flows and are capable of transporting large quantities of lava long distances underneath the surface, according to the National Park Service. When the lava supply runs out after an eruption, or if it gets diverted elsewhere, it leaves behind an empty cave.

According to the National Park Service, the longest lava tube cave in the world is the Kazumura lava tube system, within the 500-year-old ‘Ailā‘au lava flow of Kīlauea, Hawaii. It is more than 40 miles long.

Lava tube exploration is highly popular on the West Coast, especially at Lava Beds National Monument, run by the National Parks Service. The lava tubes there were created between 10,500 and 65,000 years ago, as lava that was flowing beneath the surface began to cool and solidify on the tops and sides. As the lava flow ran dry, the rock cooled and cracked, producing openings to the surface.

Visitors can go caving at the Lava Beds National Monument, where developed caves are divided into three groups based on their varying levels of difficulty.

In the Pacific Northwest, lava enthusiasts flock to the Ape Cave at Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Lewis County, Washington. The Ape Cave is 2.5 miles long and is one of the longest and most accessible lava tubes in North America, according to the USDA Forest Service. The lava tube formed about 2,000 years ago following an unusual lava flow down Mount St. Helens.