Ancient people may have survived desert droughts by melting ice in lava tubes

Context

• During a parched summer almost 2,000 years ago, people living in what is now western New Mexico crawled into the cold, dark belly of a volcanically formed cave to melt the frozen water at its heart.

How the lava tubes helped in survival?

• The ice preserved in the naturally cool formations might have helped people to survive.
• The presence of charcoal suggested fire, and the presence of fire deep in an icy cavern suggested human activity.

What are Lava tubes?

• Lava tubes are an empty space left behind by flowing lava, a relic of the area’s volcanically active past.
• Far removed from their fiery beginnings, the caves retain a constant temperature around 0° Celsius (32° Fahrenheit) that can preserve accumulating ice.
• The cylindrical shape of the tubes causes cooler, denser air to sink toward the ground and push hotter, lighter air up and out.