This karst land­scape in the state of New Mex­i­co com­pris­es over 80 rec­og­nized caves. They are out­stand­ing not only for their size but also for the pro­fu­sion, diver­si­ty and beau­ty of their min­er­al for­ma­tions. Lechuguil­la Cave stands out from the oth­ers, pro­vid­ing an under­ground lab­o­ra­to­ry where geo­log­i­cal and bio­log­i­cal process­es can be stud­ied in a pris­tine set­ting.