You can get a tour map for the park at this link. www.maribelcaves.com
Cherney Maribel Caves County Park is a county owned park located in
Manitowoc County near Maribel WI since 1963. It offers alot of
natural sights to see,ranging from a 50 foot limestone bluff,
multiple caves to scenic walking trails throughout the 75 acre
park. The main attraction in the park is New Hope Cave. There is
about 200 feet of passage that can be viewed by walking or
crawling. It's made of Dolomite Limestone deposited millions of
years ago along the Wisconsin Niagara Escarpment during the
Silurian period. The Niagara Escarpment is an arc of bluffs
stretching from Eastern Wisconsin across Lake Michigan and Lake
Huron through Ontario Canada, Niagra Falls, and ending in upstate
New York. New Hope Cave formed from Carbonic Acid and high volumes
of glacial melt dissolving the Dolomite Limestone. The cave has a
temperate climate year around with temps ranging from 43 to 50
degrees F and close to 100% humidity. New Hope Cave has many
different types of cave formations known as Speleothems. A few
examples of cave formations are stalactites,stalagmites and
helectites.
Maribel Caves is one of three cave systems in the state of
Wisconsin to have a pillar formation The forming of these caves is
very complicated and it is still a topic of geological research.
But some basic aspects are very simple: water containing carbon
dioxide CO2 is able to dissolve limestone. Carbon dioxide is a very
common gas, you know it from sparkling water, and softdrinks. They
all contain it, it makes them bubbling. Natural water also contains
CO2, but much much less, as it is normally not bubbling. Just pour
some water in a bottle and after a few hours you will see small gas
bubbles on the glass inside the bottle. Carbon dioxide is in the
the air, about 0.03% of our atmosphere is this gas. Animals and
humans breathe air, consume (burn) the oxygen and exhale carbon
dioxide.
In order to claim credit for this cache you
will need to do the following:
Bring a Measuring Tape or something to measure with.
1.There is a historical cave attraction at this park. What is the
name of this cave?
2.There is a process where ground water dissolves away the softer
limestone as it trickles through the cracks and crevices in the
rock. It creates a variety of cavities in the bedrock such as sink
holes, caves and underground drainage networks. The caves formed by
this process are known as what type of caves?
3.Measure the opening (height and width) of the cave at these
coordinates: N44 17.195 W087 46.201
Please email your answers to me.
As always do not post your answers in your log.
As this will cause me to delete your log.
A Geocache Notification Form has been submitted to
Adam Backus
Manitowoc County Planning and Parks
4319 Expo Drive
Manitowoc WI 54220
www.co.manitowoc.wi.us
A Geocache Notification Form has been submitted to Thomas A. Meyer
Conservation Biologist, State Natural Areas Program. Geocaches
placed on Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource managed lands
require permission by means of a notification form.