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on their abdomen that allows them to launch themselves into the air. Although this species is commonly found throughout the world in soil and leaf litter, this specific population has been completely isolated in the cave. They are commonly found in damp areas, most commonly on the surface of pools of
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These formations come in many different brilliant colors such as reds, browns, blues, and grays. The reds and browns are caused by the presence of iron oxide in the formation. Similarly, blues and grays are caused by manganese oxide. Some speleothems are even partially luminescent and give off light
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The cave began forming about a million to a million and a half years ago, in a manner similar to many caves. A large crack in the surface of the rock, called the cave's "lifeline", allowed rain water to seep into the stone. In the air, rain combines with carbon dioxide to form a weak carbonic acid.
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dropped, the water drained out and the cavities filled with air. Now that the cavities are filled with air instead of water, the water droplets coming from the "lifeline", which are saturated with dissolved calcium carbonate, deposit solid calcium carbonate, which builds up over time to create
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was covered with warm, shallow seas. Over millions of years, calcium carbonate shells from tiny marine organisms accumulated on the sea floor, forming enormous quantities of limestone. The type of limestone in which the cave was formed is called
331:(1941) was the first speleological publication about the cave, written primarily for tourists.) Since then, the wooden walkways have been replaced with concrete ones to accommodate the many visitors. Theatrical lighting, original design by
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when processing organic matter. This process creates the black and grey streaks found on some of the cave formations. These single-celled organisms primarily inhabit aquatic environments, and have been known to clog
404:– Also called "cave pearls", they are a beautiful but rare speleothem. These are spherical formations made when a droplet falls onto some sand and calcite forms around the sand, much like the way a pearl is formed.
396:– Helictites are an unusual form of stalactite that grow with bends or angles in them that seem to defy gravity. Their strange growth style is most likely caused by capillary forces acting on the water droplets.
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workers blasted a section of the quarry and exposed an opening to the cave. Work at the quarry then immediately stopped and was never continued. Soon after, the cave was closed to prevent damage from curious
198:, United States, is named for two nearby hills called the Blue Mounds. It is located in the southern slope of the east hill. The cave's beauty comes from its many varieties of mineral formations called
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Though this acid is not very strong, it is strong enough to dissolve away the limestone after it seeps in through the "lifeline". Over time, large cavities were dissolved in the stone and as the
279:. He had traveled to Wisconsin to join in the lead rush of the late 1820s. After arriving, he set up operations just north of where the cave lies today. Ebenezer's house later became a
364:– Soda straws are formations characterized by thin, hollow tubes made of minerals. They have the potential to form into stalactites if the holes at the bottom of them become plugged.
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considers the Cave of the Mounds to be "the significant cave of the upper
Midwest" because of its beauty, and it is promoted as the "jewel box" of major American caves. In 1987, the
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are not usually found in this subterranean environment. Despite this, a number of organisms that were small enough to seep through cracks in the ceiling populate the cave.
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Cave of the Mounds is home to many varieties of speleothems. As with most caves, stalactites and stalagmites are common. Formations found inside the cave include:
372:– Flowstones are created when water travels along a surface and deposits minerals. In limestone caves, flowstones are generally the most common type of formation.
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to take home. There are still foot-sized holes in the flowstone left by these early explorers. The cave was reopened in May, 1940 under the supervision of
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Ahlers, Joe (27 July 2006). "Spelunking for amateurs: Cave of the Mounds; Geological wonder lets visitors get up close and personal with science".
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speleothems. This is a very gradual process, usually taking 50 to 150 years to form one cubic inch of material, and continues to this day.
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347:. To be considered a NNL, "a site must be one of the best examples of a natural region's characteristic biotic or geologic features."
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has also been installed to further highlight the colors and shapes inside the cave. In 1987, the cave was designated a
384:– Lily pads are created when water droplets fall into a puddle and create a formation on the surface reminiscent of a
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378:– These are formed when water droplets run along the ceiling of the cave and gradually form sheets of minerals.
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bacteria (meaning they use in-organic substances as a source of nutrients). These bacteria oxidize the
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from which the cave was carved began forming approximately 488 million years ago, during the
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arthropods are only around a millimeter in length. They get their common name due to a
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in Dane County. Ebenezer
Brigham later became a colonel and helped build and command
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Stalactite that fell thousands of years ago and is now in the midst of stalagmites
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On August 4, 1939, Cave of the Mounds was discovered accidentally when limestone
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Because the cave was underground before humans discovered it, animals like
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A series of stalagmites growing on the ground in one of the display rooms
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water in the cave where they feed on the various bacteria species.
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Illustrated
Guidebook of the Newly Discovered Cave of the Mounds
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Several
Stalactites hanging from the ceiling and a large column
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in the cave, giving some of the formations a rusty red color.
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after lights and wooden walkways were installed. (Pond's
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for a brief period after exposure to another light.
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563:Another bacteria found in the cave is the species
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844:Tourist attractions in Dane County, Wisconsin
580:The most complex organism in the cave is the
524:genus, however it is a member of the species
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267:, was first settled by Europeans in 1828 by
608:The cave is located 20 miles west of
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243:because of its high concentration of the
341:United States Department of the Interior
208:United States Department of the Interior
834:National Natural Landmarks in Wisconsin
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457:Stalactites within Cave of the Mounds
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839:Landforms of Dane County, Wisconsin
551:have been found in the cave. These
16:Natural limestone cave in Wisconsin
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263:The area around the Blue Mounds,
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315:seekers who removed pieces of
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590:. These small, white colored
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97:Show map of the United States
792:(MKE ed.). p. Z21.
755:"National Natural Landmarks"
649:"Cave of the Mounds website"
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234:. During this time, much of
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204:Chicago Academy of Sciences
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804:Cave of the Mounds website
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333:Gilbert Vaughn Hemsley Jr.
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526:Coecobrya phanthuratensis
337:National Natural Landmark
216:National Natural Landmark
214:designated the cave as a
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33:Inside Cave of the Mounds
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669:. National Park Service.
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566:Gallionella ferruginea
553:Gram-negative bacteria
545:Bacteria in the genus
506:Gallionella ferruginea
765:on September 29, 2006
759:National Park Service
587:Coecobrya tenebricosa
345:National Park Service
212:National Park Service
66:Show map of Wisconsin
727:"Seeing In The Dark"
709:"Cave of the Mounds"
684:"Cave of the Mounds"
663:"Cave of the Mounds"
612:, off U.S. Highways
520:A springtail in the
488:Microscopic view of
291:stop, and the first
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819:Caves of Wisconsin
731:Cave Of The Mounds
504:A large growth of
184:Cave of the Mounds
22:Cave of the Mounds
571:chemolithotrophic
232:Ordovician Period
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144:43.018°N 89.816°W
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186:, a natural
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91:Location in
60:Location in
622:Blue Mounds
492:individuals
361:Soda straws
321:stalagmites
317:stalactites
299:during the
293:post office
275:miner from
265:Dane County
257:water table
200:speleothems
192:Blue Mounds
147: /
122:Coordinates
111:Blue Mounds
813:Categories
782:References
582:springtail
548:Leptothrix
528:, and not
490:Leptothrix
393:Helictites
369:Flowstones
351:Formations
289:stagecoach
160:Designated
135:89°48′58″W
132:43°01′05″N
632:Footnotes
626:Wisconsin
592:hexapodan
557:manganese
522:Coecobrya
508:bacteria.
475:Ecosystem
382:Lily pads
228:limestone
196:Wisconsin
115:Wisconsin
62:Wisconsin
736:18 April
584:species
555:oxidize
386:lily pad
376:Curtains
343:and the
313:souvenir
210:and the
107:Location
667:nps.gov
610:Madison
604:Tourism
596:furcula
401:Oolites
339:by the
222:History
168:Website
769:May 2,
560:pipes.
308:quarry
249:galena
202:. The
283:, an
771:2007
738:2024
575:iron
539:bats
319:and
287:, a
273:lead
247:ore
245:lead
226:The
163:1987
620:in
618:151
285:inn
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
