A Mammoth Cave of Wonders

With over 426 miles of mapped passageways, Mammoth Cave in Southern Kentucky is the largest “hole of the earth” (Job 30:6). And it just keeps growing! Not only does runoff water continue to wash out channels, but spelunkers continue to discover, explore, and survey new passages, some of which lie nearly 400 feet beneath the surface.

What hollowed out this massive hole?

Secular scientists have long believed that Mammoth Cave formed in limestone layers over millions of years as slightly acidic groundwater descended, slowly dissolving and eroding the rock. But more recent discoveries show that strongly acidic water bursting upward could have quickly carved out the large caverns.

The global flood of Noah’s day, described in Genesis 7–8, provided just the right forces needed for cave formation.

The limestone layers of Mammoth Cave were laid down rapidly by the floodwaters, entombing and fossilizing marine life. These layers were then rapidly buried by layers of other sediment, trapping and pressurizing water within the limestone and other layers. At the end of the flood and after, dramatic tectonic activity uplifted the continent, releasing the pressurized water from the layers.

This geological upheaval probably also released hydrogen sulfide, which mixed with the water to create sulfuric acid. As these strongly acidic waters were forced upward, they rapidly dissolved the limestone, excavating Mammoth Cave and leaving channels in the ceilings.

This cave of wonders holds treasures of history—marine fossils, including two recently identified ancient shark species. But perhaps the greatest treasure is the evidence of the global flood carved in the limestone of this truly Mammoth Cave.