Cherney Maribel Caves: New Hope and Coopers EarthCache

This cache has been archived.

gotta run: Following up on logging requirements has taken the joy out of EarthCache ownership for us. No more logs will be allowed on this cache.

This entry was edited by gotta run on Monday, 30 August 2010 at 05:56:08.

More
Hidden : 6/14/2008
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
3 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

As an EarthCache, this cache has special logging requirements. Please read the listing fully before attempting or logging this cache. Logs that do not meet the requirements must, unfortunately, be deleted.

Caves located at Cherney Maribel Cave Park near Maribel. Established trails and stairs. Elevation approximately 800' ASL at parking lot, 700' at caves.

Maribel Caves Park contains multiple caves as well as an interpretive nature trail. The parking lot contains a sign that provides much detail about the caves and their formation. Read the sign carefully, as you will need it to answer questions about this EarthCache.

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Click Here for Detailed Trail Map

The posted coordinates will take you to the largest cave, New Hope Cave, which is currently undergoing restoration excavation and unfortunately is not open to the public except by special appointment.

New Hope Cave was discovered in winter 1984. It was a narrow crawl, but the much bigger cave was almost completely filled in by glacial sediments. In the following years cavers worked on reopening the cave by removing the cave sediments, and at the moment the cave is high enough to walk into and about 50m long. Although this is not much, there are several hundred meters of cave waiting for excavation.

More details are available at www.maribelcaves.com

New Hope
New Hope - before being sealed to public.

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New Hope - As it looks most days

However, you may inspect the historic Tartarus Cave and Coopers Cave and Seepage.

Tartarus Cave: N44 17.179 W087 46.214
Coopers Cave and Seepage: N44 17.208 W087 46.267
Maribel New Hope Cave: N44 17.298 W087 46.441

About The Caves

The caves are actually karst—depressions in the dolomite limestone that is part of the Niagara Escarpment during the Silurian period. Located on the West Twin River, Cherney Maribel Caves contains a 50-foot limestone bluff, a rare occurrence within the glaciated region of Wisconsin.


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Karst topography is a landscape shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock, such as the dolomite at Maribel Caves. All the caves here were formed similarly, but only New Hope cave contains clear specimens of the many different types of cave formations known as Speleothems. New Hope Cave's temperature hovers around 45 to 50 degrees most of the year at close to 100% humidity.

To Log This Cache:

Because this is an EarthCache, you must fulfill all the following requirements or your log will be deleted, so please read carefully!

Post two pictures to your online log, one at each of the two following locations. Each picture must include your GPSr in it:

1. Coopers Cave (from the path is fine) N44 17.208 W087 46.267
2. Maribel New Hope Cave N44 17.298 W087 46.441

Send an email via geocaching by clicking on THIS LINK with an answer to the following questions:

1. In your own words, describe the dissolving forces responsible for creating and shaping Maribel Caves over time. Yes, the short answer is "water," but read/think about it a bit.

2. Based on the information available on the park sign, what are the different types of features that are known as "karst?"

This cache has been approved by Thomas A. Meyer, Conservation Biologist at the WDNR, and the Manitowoc Parks department via his referral.

More info on EarthCaches is available at www.earthcache.org.

Special Thanks To:

whiskey33 for putting together another EarthCache at this site.

Cache_boppin_BunnyFuFu for putting together great information on how to submit an EarthCache in a State Natural Area. This information is available via the Wisconsin Geocaching Association (WGA) Forums, www.wi-geocaching.com

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



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