A photo from inside an underground lava tube. A formation caused by a lava flow that hardened on the surface, then drained, leaving a stone tube that can be explored. Sometimes the structures underground can be complex, or quirky. Here, people are walking through the lava tube in silhouette from their headlamps, under a narrow channel where a flow of lava left the walls more narrow, then drained further down. A stone of lava rolled into place and wedged itself in the narrow part overhead, fusing in place. A small spot light highlights the feature. The feature was named "The Meatball" by a scout troop that explored this very long lava tube many decades ago on the slopes of Mount Saint Helens of Washington State, US. The lava tube is banned for the youth scout troop, The Apes, thus "Ape Cave". The 1980 eruption of the volcanic mountain did not create this lava tube. It is far far older than that.
"The Meatball" #RockinTuesday
This lava tube feature is a stone wedged in a narrow channel overhead, and fused there. It was named by a scout troop long ago, in the cave that bears their youth troop name, "Ape Cave".
#ApeCave #LavaTube #cave #hiking #EastCoastKin #BlueSkyArtShow #TheFloorIsLava #📷
