Mercer Caverns

From Underfoot

Q8342992




Mercer Caverns is a show cave located one mile north of Murphys in Calaveras County California. It is named after the gold prospector Walter J. Mercer who discovered the caves around 1885 and filed a claim. The caverns have a large number of speleothems, stalactites, and stalagmites. It is formed in a marble unit known as the Calaveras Formation. It also contains a large display of aragonite frostwork. The standard tour of the cave descends 160 feet, 208 steps down and 232 up in a traverse between the natural and an artificial entrance. The cave was mapped in 1986 to a length of 3389 feet and a total depth of 192 feet. The map can be viewed on the cave's web site.

WikimediaWikidata
caveshow caveUnited States
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Location: 38.1514, -120.478, KML, Cluster Map, Maps,
3 places

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  • California Caverns
    cave in United States of America
  • Mercer Caverns
    cave in United States of America
  • Moaning Cavern
    solutional cave in the Calaveras County, California
California-Murphys-Mercer cave2California-Murphys-Mercer cave2
California-Murphys-Mercer cave1California-Murphys-Mercer cave1
California-Murphys-Mercer cave2California-Murphys-Mercer cave2
California-Murphys-Mercer cave1California-Murphys-Mercer cave1
Mercer Caverns tourMercer Caverns tour
Aragonite in Mercer CavernsAragonite in Mercer Caverns
Aragonite in Mercer Caverns, MurphysAragonite in Mercer Caverns, Murphys
    TypeSubtypeDateDescriptionNotesSource
    sitecaveCalifornia Cavernsshow cave, caveWikidata
    sitecaveMercer Cavernsshow cave, caveWikidata
    sitecaveMoaning Cavernshow cave, caveWikidata
    commonsimageCalifornia-Murphys-Mercer cave2 Commons
    commonsimageCalifornia-Murphys-Mercer cave1 Commons
    commonsimageCalifornia-Murphys-Mercer cave2 Commons
    commonsimageCalifornia-Murphys-Mercer cave1 Commons
    commonsimageMercer Caverns tour Commons
    commonsimageAragonite in Mercer Caverns Commons
    commonsimageAragonite in Mercer Caverns, Murphys Commons