Nutty Putty Cave has become synonymous with the tragic decease of a caver who became trap in its minute tunnels in 2009 . But while many people have learned about the cave through this accident , they are less familiar with the cave ’s longer history .
For ten prior to the incident , the cave system was a democratic destination for unskilled and professional cave enthusiasts likewise .
What is Nutty Putty Cave?
Nutty Putty Cave is located near the metropolis of Pleasant Grove , Utah , in the United States . The cave system was first discovered and research in 1960 byDale Greenand friends . Because many of the passage take a soft , brown mud that could be molded by skin senses , Green decided to call it Nutty Putty Cave , after the popular children ’s toy , Silly Putty . Like the toy , the clay could shift from a strong to a flexile fluid when gently constrict .
This viscous remains is composed of tiny particles ofsilicon dioxide , or silica as it is often have it off , which is ordinarily bump in nature in the form of quartz .
Whereas caves are often shape by surface water that descends into the ground ( experience as epidemic cave ) , Nutty Putty is an example of a hypogenic cave . This case of cave organisation was formed from below , when superheated groundwater rose to the surface , break up limestone as it went . This is because the groundwater was believably slightly acidic .
Over time , it ate at the tilt and created a complex internet of passages and dome . According toone survey of Nutty Putty , there are over 410 meters ( 1,345 feet ) of chutes and tunnel in the cave system , the most renowned ( and nasty ) being “ The Big Slide ” , “ The Birth Canal ” , “ The snarl ” , and “ The Helmet Eater ” .
The Nutty Putty Cave Death
After it was chance on in 1960 , Nutty Putty became a democratic cave that attracted many visitant . However , some of these cave explorers were inexperient and unprepared for the blotto web of tunnels it contained . NBC Newsreported that rescuer had to be called to the cave five times in the decade antedate the 2009 incident .
There were no fatalities following these callouts , but they nevertheless required rescuing . Then , in 2005 , the last offour Utah youthsin the nearby cave on “ Y ” Mountain led to further concerns .
In 2006 , Nutty Putty Cave wascloseddue to mount up safety concerns , but it was eventually reopened in May 2009 . to protect visitor , amanagement planwas signed with Timpanogos Grotto , to provide an on-line reservation system that restricted access to one group at a time .
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alas , it was only a thing of month after this that catastrophe struck .
On November 24 , 2009 , John Edward Jones , a medical student , visited Nutty Putty Cave with his brother Josh and ally . Unfortunately , while he was trying to find the Birth Canal , Jones get into an unmapped portion of the cave near “ Ed ’s Push . ”
Jones , believing he was in the extensive opening elsewhere in the system , attempted to labour himself headlong through a tight sport to turn around , but he became deposit at a 70 - degree angle and could not escape .
Throughout the following day , teams of rescuers attempted to lay aside him , but he soon set out to lose cognizance because of thepositionhe was in . His gist was under increased strain to pump blood from his brain , a appendage that is ordinarily aided by gravity .
During the deliverance movement , apulley systemwas instal to serve free Jones from his position , but it could not be secured against the soft , clay walls . In fact , one saviour was struck in the face when the pulley tore destitute from the point it was anchored to .
Despite the efforts to rescue him , Jones was announce dead a few minutes before midnight on November 25 . Due to his position in the cave , rescuers were unable to recuperate his body . As such , he was leave behind in place and Nutty Putty Cave was formally closed to the public . The site remains a sealed grave to this day .
