A newly found magnificent pool, 700 feet beneath Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, has never been seen by human eyes before.
The cave pool was discovered in Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico, one of the world’s largest and most famous caverns, and looks to be fully “virgin.”
However, the cave has never been touched by humans before, as scientists discovered this unexpected find at a depth of 213 meters below the cave’s mouth, which is also one of the world’s tallest (or deepest).
Carlsbad Caverns described the spot as “totally clean” in a Facebook post on its official page, adding that they think the bacteria dwelling in the water “developed entirely without human presence.”
The beautiful lake uncovered in the cave network is surrounded by white frosted rock and seems almost otherworldly. While the water appears to be muddy and has a creamy tinge, the color is merely an optical illusion.
The water in the pool is “crystal clean,” according to geoscientist and expedition leader Max Wisshak, and is thought to have come from ancient rainfall that seeped through the limestone above and fell or slid down the cave walls into the pool.
“This pool had been secluded for hundreds of thousands of years and had never seen light until that day,” said Rodney Horrocks, director of natural and cultural resources at Carlsbad Caverns.
Because practically everything these days is polluted by human contamination, having an uncontaminated pool is critical. Litter and other man-made goods pollute the ecosystem even in the deepest parts of Antarctica. Being given a fully pure sample of nature is a rare pleasure for scientists.