Blanchard Springs Caverns EarthCache
Blanchard Springs Caverns
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Blanchard Springs Caverns is a "living" cavern operated by the
U.S.F.S. with tours covering nearly 2 miles of paved, lighted
trails. It has slow metamorphosis due to minerals deposited by
seeping and dripping water is still in process.
The limestone rock from which the cave developed was formed by
fossilized sediment from sea creatures deposited on the seabed
estimated about 350–500 million years ago. When prehistoric land
masses shifted, the seabed was uplifted about 300 million years ago
to form the Ozark Plateau. The exposed land was shaped by the
elements, such as wind and rain, into mountains and rivers. When
the slightly acidic rainfall penetrated cracks and crevices in the
limestone, cavities were formed. Water entered, enlarging the
cavities as it flowed through and filled them. As the water cut its
way downward, seeking lower levels, it left hollow, air-filled
caves. Dripping water from above then deposited calcium carbonate
and other minerals to form the cave features and formations, called
speleothems, which continue to change as long as water continues to
drip.
Definitions:
karst – A landscape characterized by the presence of caves,
springs, sinkholes and losing streams, created as groundwater
dissolves soluble rock such as limestone or dolomite.
cave – A natural cavity beneath the earth’s surface. Caves are
formed when slightly acidic water combines with limestone or
dolomitic rock, and dissolves the rock, creating a cavity.
spring – A natural discharge of water from a rock or soil to the
surface.
sinkhole – A rounded depression in the landscape formed when an
underground cavity collapses.
losing stream – A surface stream that loses a significant amount of
its flow to the subsurface through bedrock openings.
limestone – A sedimentary rock composed of calcium carbonate; a
rock of marine origin derived from the lime mud and ooze that
accumulated on calm, shallow sea floors.
Cave Formations
The all-inclusive name for cave formations is speleothems, cave
deposits of every sort. The main mineral deposited in speleothems
of Blanchard Springs Caverns is calcite. It is the same mineral
found in the limestone layers that make up the bedrock of the Ozark
Mountains. Calcite is dissolved from the limestone when surface
water, containing carbonic acid absorbed from the air and soil,
percolates down through the rock and into the cave. When this acid
water-carrying a calcium bicarbonate solution- encounters the air
inside the cave, the carbon dioxide is released. The water then
deposits the calcite. Layer upon layer of calcite deposit will
eventually shape the speleothem. Many factors determine the shape
that speleothems will take. How the acid water enters the cave - by
dripping, flowing, seeping, splashing - and how it flows or stands
after entering, are just two of these factors. Sometimes the
calcite speleothems have pastel and earth colors, indicating that
other minerals were deposited, continuously or at intervals. Iron
oxides account for the shades of brown, yellow, and red, while
manganese gives shades of blue, black, and gray.
• Soda straws (first stage stalactites) grow from the ceiling
as water runs down inside them and deposits rings of calcite at
their tips.
• When the soda straws are plugged, water trickling down their
outside turns them into larger carrot - or icicle - shaped
stalactites.
• Stalagmites, which rise from the floor when dripping water
deposits minerals, are usually larger in diameter than stalactites
and more rounded on top.
• A stalactite and stalagmite may meet midway, forming a column.
Or, one or the other may grow all the way to the floor or ceiling
to form a column.
• On an inclined ceiling, water may deposit calcite in thin,
translucent sheets, producing draperies that hang in delicate
folds.
• At times, water forming the draperies contains minerals in
addition to calcite, resulting in dark orange or brown bands called
bacon formation.
• A flowstone forms when considerable water flows down walls, over
floors and older formations, building up sheets of calcite like
icing on a cake.
• Along streams, rimstone dams and terraces often build up and trap
the water in pools - the home of tiny blind, white creatures that
dwell in caves.
The Springs
The cold, clear water that flows through the caverns and cascades
over limestone rocks at Blanchard Springs did much to shape the
lives and livelihood of the early day settlers in this mountain
country. Communities naturally sprang up near the life sustaining
creeks downstream from Blanchard Springs. The old mills that once
used this water for power - to grind corn and wheat, cut lumber,
and gin cotton - are silent now, or gone. Some things in the
natural system seem exempt from the passage of time. Blanchard
Springs is one. Today, water still pours abundantly from the
spring. A scenic trail and pedestrian bridge lead visitors back to
John Blanchard's spring. Here in 1971, scuba divers entered to
explore the mysterious watercourse all the way to the natural
entrance. In 4,000 feet of unexplored, mostly water-filled
passageways, the scuba divers mapped five inaccessible air filled
rooms and corridors. They returned with photographs of remarkable
cave formations, waterfalls and cave life. They also brought back
valuable data on the rate of water flow through this portion of the
cave. They determined that it takes eighteen and a half hours for
water to flow through 1,000 feet of cave passages full of water,
and five hours to flow through 3,000 feet of stream in the
air-filled rooms. A cave journey of less than a mile takes almost
24 hours.
Living caves - Caves where slow metamorphosis due to minerals
deposited by seeping and dripping water is still in process.
Cave Geology
Thousands, maybe even millions, of years later, the eroding river
dropped to a new, lower level. The water drained from the
underground river, leaving the cave high and dry. While another
system of caves was forming at a new water level below, dripping
water entering the dry rooms and passages started depositing
calcium carbonate and other minerals in the form of stalactites,
stalagmites, and numerous other dripstone features. The speleothems
grow as long as groundwater enters the cave.
Cave Life
The plants and animals of Blanchard Springs Caverns-like those
living above ground-have adapted to different, but specific,
environments. Within the cave are recognizable zones, each
supporting distinctive communities of plants and animals. The
entrance zone is most like the surrounding surface area. Some
shade-loving green plants grow in the twilight zone but extend only
to the deepest point where light penetrates. Temperature in the
variable temperature zone fluctuates with the weather outside the
cave. Deeper into the cave, the temperature stays at 58 degrees
regardless of weather on the surface. Biologists recognize three
kinds of cave animals. Those that live above ground but often
retreat to caves-bats and crickets-are trogloxenes, "cave guests."
One trogloxene in Blanchard Springs Caverns is the Indiana bat, an
endangered species. Animals living mostly in the cave but with the
ability to survive outside it-some salamanders, frogs, and harvest
men (daddy longlegs)-are troglophiles, "cave lovers." Others that
spend their entire lives in the cave's total darkness and uniform
environment are troglobite,"cave dwellers." Like the white Ozark
blind salamander, many are sightless and without pigment. The
four-inch-long salamander is native to Blanchard Springs Caverns
and was the first cave dwelling amphibian found in America. After
the mosses and ferns of the entrance zone, little plant life-except
for bacteria, mold, and fungi-occurs farther back in the cave. The
reason is obvious. Some animals can return to the surface for the
food and energy they need to exist, but plants growing in the cave
must be able to find a source of energy already "packaged" - in the
form of decaying wood, leaves, and other organic matter. Bacteria
in the debris washed into the caverns by floods and run-off sustain
some form of life.
To received credit for earthcache the following are required for
approval.
1. You must post picture of you and GPS at the Visitor Center
N7.849 W 092 10.762 or at the deck area N 35 57.524 W 092 10.628
where you can see the water flowing from the cave. Describe the
water flow as it appears today as it varies throughout the year.
2. Send email telling what was the first cave dwelling amphibian
found in America?
Earthcache placement permit #0810 from the Ozark-St. Francis
National Forest Division of USDA. It is not necessary to take the
tours in order to answer the question or take photo to complete the
needed requirements but we feel you would enjoy the tour so we have
posted the hours and fees for you to consider.
Nov. 1 – March 31 – Caverns closed Monday and Tuesday; open
Wednesday – Sunday, 9:30 – 6:00 pm
Rates are subject to change. Please call 1-888-757-2246 between
9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. CST for current rates. Adults - $10.00 for
Dripstone/ Discovery Tour Children age 6-15 - $5.00 for Dripstone/
Discovery Tour Golden Age Passport Holders - $5.00 for
Dripstone/Discovery Tours
Developed by A Platinum EarthCache Master
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