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In Lava Beds National Monument (Northern California), this is the "Hopkins Chocolate Cave" trail, which is a cave and tunnel created when red hot lavas flowed underground. Once the lava drained away, this lava tube cave was left behind. There are over 500 such caves known to exist in Lava Beds National Monument (some are over a mile long), with new ones discovered each year. This is a cool shot of the ceiling...you can see the lavacicles, but they're missing in one section (top center)...that's because that section started to "pull off" and fall to the floor, but it basically hinged down like a flap and solidified in place. (09/30/2004)