What followed has been described as some of the world’s most exciting cave exploration, taking place in one of the finest known caves on the planet.Since that first breakthrough, explorers have mapped more than 145 miles (233 km) of passages in Lechuguilla Cave and pushed its known depth to 1,604 feet (489 m). The abundance of gypsum and sulfur supports the idea that much of the cave was formed by sulfuric acid dissolution, a process in which acidic waters dissolve limestone to create large voids.Researchers also believe the cave hosts rare, chemolithoautotrophic bacteria, microbes that essentially “eat” rock by feeding on sulfur, iron, and manganese minerals.