Buckner Cave
Encyclopedia
Buckner Cave is located in the karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...

 topography of the Mitchell Plain
Mitchell Plain
The Mitchell Plain is a karst area of relatively low relief. The extensive underlying cave system developed in Mississippian age limestone bedrock...

 in Monroe County
Monroe County, Indiana
As of the census of 2010, there were 137,974 people, 46,898 households, and 24,715 families residing in the county. The population density was 306 people per square mile . There were 50,846 housing units at an average density of 129 per square mile...

, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

, just outside of Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....

. The cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...

 consists of approximately 3 miles of known passage and an unknown amount of unexplored passages.

It is taken care of by the Richard Blenz Nature Conservancy (RBNC) and resides in what is now privately owned property.
Cavers interested in visiting need to obtain permission from the RBNC one week in advance in order to enter. Alternatively, interested parties can become members and help to maintain the cave as well as benefit from expedited access.

Over the years, the cave has been heavily vandalized, and there is an ongoing effort to restore the cave to its natural state.

Cave layout

The cave sits just outside of a bare campground (no water, no bathrooms).
Its entrance is an oval shaped sinkhole
Sinkhole
A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...

approximately 15 ft tall and 20 ft wide which leads downwards in a gentle incline for about 50 ft and then opens up into a large room.
Access to the rest of the cave is found through a small hole that brings explorers to an approximately 600 foot army crawl to the next large cavern. From here cavers can choose to explore multiple sections of the cave.
Throughout the cave many paths and routes exist and most tunnels and caverns have a few offshoots.

Most of the caverns and passages have been cut out by water over the ages and generally appear to be quite safe. Some areas, especially the side-tunnels and off shoots, are underneath piles of large rocks. A significant section of the cave runs along what is a still running stream that is never more than a couple of feet in depth. Small bats may be found throughout the cave.

The graffiti desecration is rather prominent throughout most of the cave. Astute cavers will notice the signature of L.V. Cushing and the date of 1775 hidden beneath graffiti. Lost cavers in a pinch can pay attention to the orange arrows that point to 'out' but should remember that the graffiti here is terrible and ought not to have been created in the first place. Though vandals have destroyed many of the natural rock formations in the cave it still is a wonderfully complex mesh of tunnels great for exploration and relatively challenging squeezes.

Difficulty

Buckner's cave is easily traversable without rope or special equipment. Many areas have low ceilings and necessitate hands and belly crawling. Areas in the lower parts of the cave near water may be a bit slick. Knee pads are recommended and cavers should be at least moderately flexible and fit.

External links

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