MAMMOTH CAVEBy: Landry G

Maps

Map of the United States showing the location of Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky.

Maps

Topographical map of Mammoth Cave National Park and surrounding area.

Maps

Cave System Map of Mammoth Cave.

About Mammoth Cave National Park

Mammoth Cave opened for tours in 1816. The land was originally owned by two families.

It became a national park on July 1st 1941.

Mammoth Cave became a national park because of the cave's great length. (390 miles) Mammoth Cave was named mammoth caves

because mammoths were big and the caves are big too.

Mammoth Cave National Park covers 52,830 acres.

How it was Formed

It was formed by chemical weathering. Acidic water dissolved the limestone, slowly leaving the cave after it carved out 390 miles underground. (The length of the cave)

It is the longest known cave because it passes over several major ground-water basins.

Rocks and Minerals That Can be Found in Mammoth Cave

Sandstone and limestone are the rocks that can be found in Mammoth Cave. It is formed by limestone layers, capped by sandstone.

Gypsum (contains calcium sulfate and water) and calcium carbonate are

in limestone. The minerals quartz and feldspar are found in sandstone.

Gypsum flowers and needles are formed by the processes of dissolution and precipitation.

Special features in the park

Stalactites and stalagmites are special features because they only form in caves. Stalactites form on the ceiling, and stalagmites form on the floor from dripping water and minerals.

The Bottomless Pit is a special feature because

it is very very deep. It is 105 feet deep.

The Mammoth Dome is a 192 ft. high shaft.

The Bottomless Pit

Mammoth Dome

Special Features Continued

The Snowball Room was named for the special gypsum formations on the ceiling that look like snowballs, but they are darker because of early visitors using oil lamps.

The Snowball RoomStalactites and Stalagmites

How is the park currently changing

The rivers in Mammoth Cave are changing the park because they are eroding the rock in the walls of the cave.

Pollution Water pollution in the form of mercury is effecting

the park because fish live in the water. That means the fish will die because they will suck in oil and chemicals through their gills.

Mammoth Caves has the third worst air quality of all the National Parks. If there was no pollution you could see for 113 miles, but because of the pollution you can only see 14 miles.

Pollution Continued

It is the fifth most ozone polluted park in the nation. The ozone pollution may keep black cherry and sycamore trees from growing and they are the home to Indiana Bats.

Technology use in the Park The Mammoth Cave International Center

for Science and Learning provides money for research and learning.

They use advanced technology to monitor air quality in the park and the cave.

They use special dyes that they put in the water to find the water flow.

Bibliography"Cave Tours of Mammoth Cave NP." National Parks Service. National Parks Service, 09 July

2010. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. http://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/gocavetours.htm ."Geologic Formations." National Parks Service. National Parks Service, 28 June 2006. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. http://www.nps.gov/maca/naturescience/geologicformations.htm ."Kentucky's National Parks - Mammoth Cave National Park." Kentucky Educational Television: Explore Kentucky. Explore the World. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. http://www.ket.org/nationalparks/mammothcave/poets.htm ."Mammoth Cave National Park Information Page." Mammoth Cave National Park. Web. 18

Mar. 2012. http://www.mammoth.cave.national-park.com/info.htm ."Mammoth Cave National Park." Preserving the Park. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. http://www.ohranger.com/mammoth-cave/preserving-park .Meiman, Joe, Chris Groves, and Shannon Herstein. "In-Cave Dye Tracing and Drainage Basin Divides in Mammoth Cave Karst Aquifer." US Geological Survey Karst Interest Group Proceedings. Water-Resources Investigations Report 01-4011. 179-85. Print."Projects and Initiatives." Friends of Mammoth Cave National Park. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. http://www.friendsofmammothcave.org/projects/supporting_natural_resource.htm .Rogers, Kirsteen. "Mixtures and Compunds." The Usborne Internet-linked Science Encyclopedia: With 1000 Recommended Websites. London: Usborne, 2000. 65+. Print.Thompson, Bob, and Judi Thompson. Mammoth Cave and the Kentucky Cave Region. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003. 1-5. Print.