Mammoth+Cave

Mammoth Cave is a national park in south-central Kentucky that contains a network of caves and parts of the Green River valley 2. The park covers 52,835 acres of land and extends into Edmonson County, Hart County, and Baren County 2. It was named as a national park in 1941 9 and established as an International Biosphere Reserve in 1990. It is located at 37.19 north latitude, 86.05 west longitude and is an area of karst topography 2. Mammoth Cave is the world's largest cave 9 and the home of many species including Mammoth Cave has five levels of subterranean rooms, narrow passageways, and underground rivers 7. Its main attractions are the Green River--the 300 mile long river traveling through the park--and its 367 mile long passageways 3. Mammoth Cave also holds tours, including the Historic Tour, Grand Avenue Tour, and River Styx Cave Tour, among many others 12. There is a special tour exclusively for children, called the Children's Trog Tour 12. This tour goes through areas in the cave which adults cannot fit into. Even in summer, one should remember to wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, as it can get cool in caves 3.  The main reason why tourists go to Mammoth Cave is to see the fascinating tunnels. These began forming about 350 million years ago 10 . Sea material--mostly shells--from the warm water ocean that previously existed in that area slowly formed limestone and shale (sedimentary rock) 3. Limestone is a chemical sedimentary rock, meaning it was formed when water evaporated off of the original materials (shells and other organic material) and left a solid product that was cemented with calcite cement11. Shale was the second rock found in Mammoth Cave 3. Shale is a clastic sedimentary rock, created by fine grains of mud sticking together11. Another rock, sandstone, is seen overlying shale and limestone 3. Sandstone is also clastic 11. As sea level fell (about 280 million years ago), these rocks were gradually exposed. 10 million years ago, the oldest part of the cave became visible 3. Rain is the primary source of weathering that forms caves 10. The acidic properties of rain 3 dissolve the calcite in the limestone, weakening it and forming what are called micro caverns, or cavities of air in rock 10. Tectonic activity also assisted in the formations of Mammoth Cave. As plates shifted, creases and cracks formed in the layers. These became passageways for additional rainwater to travel through and get deeper into the rock, therefore resulting in further erosion of limestone 3. As time went on, this erosion enlarged caves 3. Now, underground rivers in the cave continue to erode it 10. Visitors also come to Mammoth Cave to see the Frozen Niagara, where one can view pits, domes, passages through the cave, dripstone features created by erosion, and animal life 12. The dripstone features form when calcite-rich water drips from the ceiling of caves11. As the water evaporates, it leaves stalactites (long, thin columns hanging from the ceiling11 ) and stalagmites (massive features protruding from the ground in caves11 ). Deep pits are often created when rainwater dissolves rock in caves so that it is too weak to support itself. The rock collapses, leaving a deep pit. One can expect that the cave will erode into a series of canyons in many thousand years.  Mammoth Cave National Park is home to a select number of unique features. For example, Mammoth Cave is part of the South Central Kentucky Karst. Areas with karst topography have been mainly shaped by the dissolving of rock from groundwater11. Sinkholes are also very common. Sinkholes are depressions in the land, they are made from the dissolving of underground rock11. The ground is then weakened and not able to support itself so it caves in11.
 * Mammoth Cave National Park **
 * Mammals 1
 * Birds 1
 * Crustaceans 1
 * Fish 1
 * Gastropods 1
 * Insects 1
 * Mussels 1
 * Plants 1
 * Reptiles 1

Inside the caves of Mammoth Cave National Park, the following features are common:  The state of Kentucky has moderate, mild winters. Its summers are humid and warm. Kentucky weather patterns are affected by the Gulf of Mexico, especially during the summer. The Gulf of Mexico brings in maritime tropical air masses during summertime, which cause warm, moist weather. Kentucky gets an average of 46 inches of precipitation per year 3. There are no extreme wet or dry seasons but typically, there is a higher amount of rainfall in the spring. The heavy rains in this season have contributed to the formation of the caves 3. Over time, the water has worn away the rock surrounding the cave, thus making the cave cavities larger. This occurred because of the formation of a clastic sedimentary rock called sandstone. Sandstone is permeable, meaning it has none or few disconnected pores, which allow liquids to pass through 10.   The area surrounding Mammoth Cave has a moderate climate, although the inside of the cave is generally cooler (50-60 degrees Fahrenheit) 3. This is because the cave is sheltered from sunlight, just like any area underground. As one travels northward through Kentucky, the average amount of precipitation tends to decrease. Southern Kentucky recieves the most precipitation in the state--about 50 inches per year 2. Storms are very common in Kentucky and happen year round, but mostly between March and September. Kentucky itself is not a state which undergoes many hurricanes but surrounding states, such as Tennessee and Virginia, have frequent hurricane encounters. On occasion, Kentucky receives strong winds or rains that come from close by hurricanes. Mammoth Cave is in a deciduous forest biome. One can see many animals there, such as American bald eagles, white-tailed deer12, coyotes, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, and weasels 1. Many of these live outside the cave, but others, such as bats and fish, spend their entire lives inside. Animals living inside often have to adapt to living in darkness. There is a species of fish with no eyes that lives in the cave 3. Because there are fewer nutrients in caves, taking in extra to support eyes would be pointless, especially because sight is not used as frequently as other senses in a dark environment 3. Mammoth Cave contains many creatures native to it. One such creature is the Kentucky Cave Shrimp. It is a blind albino shrimp that lives only within Mammoth Cave. Animals at Mammoth Cave are categorized into troglobites, troglophiles, and trogloxenes 1. Troglobites are animals that can only survive in caves, troglophiles are able to live in and outside of caves, and trogloxenes are species which seek refuge in caves 1. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;"> Mammoth Cave is located at the crossroads of grasslands, drier oak-hickory forests, and moist mixed mesophytic forests. It therefore contains a diverse selection of plants (1,200 species in all) 7. The variety of habitats also contributes to the number of different plants. Around Mammoth Cave are alluvial bottoms, ravines, karst valleys, wetlands (swamps and ponds), forests, and savannas. Because a lot of the land in the park used to be fields and pastures prior to park establishment, there are mostly eastern red cedar and Virginia pine forests there. American elm, sycamore, silver poplar, river birch, and box elder trees are found along the Green and Nolin Rivers. There are also a few areas with pin oak, red sweetgum, and red maple trees. Patches of prairie are found throughout the park, too. One of the greatest threats to Mammoth Cave is contamination of air quality 7. Nearby coal-fired power plants emit a lot of mercury, which is a potent neurotoxin 7. It affects the nervous system by depolarization of nerves and muscle fiber. Mercury is passed through the food chain and Mammoth Cave's endangered Indiana bat has been found to have mercury in it at ten times the level considered safe for people 7. This contamination of air is dangerous for endangered animals. Also, ozone pollution in the park has been increasing and thus been harming plants 7. Water pollution in the caves has been contributing to the harming of endangered species, too 12. The Kentucky cave shrimp, Indiana bat, and gray bat are animals that live only at Mammoth Cave. If their habitat is affected by ozone pollution, these creatures will have no place to live 7. Mammoth Cave National Park contains habitats of over 70 species of threatened, endangered, or state-listed life 7. Over 130 species of animals regularly inhabit the cave. Recent botanical surveys show that 25 species of plants in the Mammoth Cave area are endangered, threatened, or of "special concern" 1. The cave species and biotic cave communities are among the most diverse in the world 1. These species are in danger of human interference. While these species are all at risk, there are many other animals living in Mammoth Cave which are not in danger. For example, beavers, raccoons, turkeys, and bullfrogs are common in or near the cave and are not in danger of extinction.
 * Helictites: A type of speleothem which can grow in any direction and forms from calcite-rich water.
 * Flowstones: These occur when water flows onto the floor or down the side of the cave's wall. They are the most common speleothems that form in limestone caves 10.
 * Stalagmites: These form when a solution containing minerals is dripping directly above from the ceiling and the materials form a cone shape on the ground when the solution solidifies 10.
 * Stalactites: These form when nutrient-rich solutions collect on the ceiling of a cavern and drip down. The liquid then condenses over time 10 . [[image:Gypsum_Flowers_painting_.jpg width="162" height="200" align="right" caption="A gypsum flower."]]
 * Columns: When stalagmites and stalactites meet, forming one single speleothem 10.
 * Gypsum Flowers: These are made from fiberous crystals growing from a center point outwards to form a speleothem that resembles a flower.

Did You Know?
 * Mammoth cave was discovered by American Indians about 4,000 years ago. Artifacts like clothing and tools can be found from when they lived in the caves.
 * Mammoth Cave got its name because like the animal, it is “mammoth” in size 3.
 * A number of miles have been added to the original length as time went on, due to new discoveries of how far the cave extends.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Sources

1. “Animals.” Mammoth Cave National Park. 2006. 5 June 2010 http://www.nps.gov/maca/naturescience/animals.htm

2. “Fire Regime.” Mammoth Cave National Park. 2006. 5 June 2010. http://www.nps.gov/maca/naturescience/fireregime.htm

3. “Frequently Asked Questions.” Mammoth Cave National Park. 2006. 5 June 2010. http://www.nps.gov/maca/faqs.htm

4. "Howstuffworks." Mammoth Cave National Park Visitor Information. 1998. 8 June 2010. http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/mammoth-cave-national-park-ga.htm/printable

5. "Landuse and Water Quality Threats to the Mammoth Cave Karst Aquifer, Kentucky." Cave, Caves, Karst, Karst Research, Speleology, China. 8 June 2010. http://hoffman.wku.edu/gis/macathreat.htm

6. "Mammoth Cave, Kentucky Caves, Mammoth Cave National Park." Online Travel Guides of Travel Destinations- Las Vegas, Caribbean, Hawaii and Machu Picchu. 8 June 2010. http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/kentucky/mammoth-cave

7. “Mammoth Cave National Park: Air Quality at Risk.” National Parks Conservation Association. 9 June 2010. http://www.npca.org/darkhorizons/pdf/MACA.pdf

8. "Mammoth Cave National Park Information Page." Mammoth Cave National Park. 8 June 2010. http://www.mammoth.cave.national-park.com/info.htm#mc

9. "Mammoth Cave National Park - Nature & Science.” U.S. National Park Service. 8 June 2010. http://www.nps.gov/maca/naturescience/index.htm

10. "Mammoth Cave National Park.” UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 1992. 8 June 2010. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/150

11. Tarbuck, Edward J., and Frederick K. Lutgens. Earth Science. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2006. Print.

12. Uhler, John W. "Mammoth Cave National Park Sights Page." Mammoth Cave National Park. 8 June 2010. http://www.mammoth.cave.national-park.com/sights.htm#gen