Vast Network Of Ice Age Caves Discovered Beneath The Streets of Montreal

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The human race has a fascination with the unknown. From the times when extravagant monsters such as the Kraken were drawn on maps, we have always tried to know as much as possible about the world around us.

After many technological advancements, not only have we been able to debunk myths such as the mystical creatures that roam the seas (or not?), but we have also gained the ability to explore the past. Now, we can find and explore underground caves that used to be impossible to navigate without ample safety equipment and light.

Costs for such equipment have become drastically lower as we find ways to produce them more quickly and efficiently, making it possible for casual amateurs to pursue hobbies once out of their wallet’s reach.

6-meter-high ceilings and countless passages

It so happens that one of these amateurs came upon a network of ice caverns underneath an unsuspecting Montreal neighborhood. Daniel Caron and his friend, Luc Le Blanc discovered the cave by hammering through the limestone walls of a pre-existing cave. When they looked through the hole they created, they noticed a large cave with 6-meter-high ceilings and countless passages extending far beyond the reach of the human eye.

The cave they discovered was filled with stalactites and stratified limestone walls that were a result of many thousands of years’ worth of water droplets. Caron’s first impression of the cave was that it reminded him of Earth’s most prominent natural satellite:

“Normally you would have to go to the moon to find that kind of thing (cave).”

As the caves are 10 meters underground and require advanced drilling equipment to have been discovered any other way, the pair is sure that nobody has been inside their newly-discovered portion. Although it does seem quite unlikely that a cave this large could have been hidden from human sight for so long, Caron bases this on the lack of ample technology when the city was first built on top of the cave.

Thanks to the lowering cost of what used to be advanced hobby-related equipment, maybe you could be the next one to find an unseen cave, or make a discovery that turns science on its head!