Lunar lava caves are often two to three orders of magnitude bigger than those on Earth — enough to host a small town — because lower gravity makes them larger and more spread out.

By contrast, lava caves, widely known as lava tubes, are formed in a geological instant—a year or two, sometimes weeks—by an eruption from the Earth’s crust.

After pondering its existence for decades, scientists have confirmed the first moon cave. Here’s how the structures could contribute to long-term lunar exploration.

Lava caves, then, would make for sturdy storage spaces to supplement lunar outposts being built by astronauts and robots over time. “Ready-made sub-surface habitats or storage areas would save ...

Tulelake, CaliforniaFormed by half a million years of volcanic activity, Lava Beds National Monument contains the highest ...

The Cave, a lava tube, is 900 ft. in total length. The marked entry has a metal ladder that descends to the uneven floor. The ...

Discover Your Forest invites you to discover your national forest while participating in a guided Lava River Cave tour!

The Lava River Cave remains between 35 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, so you may want to bring a jacket or coat. If you want to avoid crowds, plan to visit the cave on a weekday morning.

The moon has more than 200 known pits such as the one at Mare Tranquillitatis, but it’s likely only a handful extend out to caves, Horvath said. Some of the lava tubes could also be inaccessible ...

The large size of the cave is not surprising, due to the moon’s lower gravity and the effects this can have on the lava tubes’ stability, with larger caves being able to form with less risk of ...