As slightly acidic rain water seeped through the soluble bedrock and through the underlying surface, it dissolved the limestone rock and created the caves, pockets and cavities. This is known as solution features. Another physical characteristic in this environment is depositional features or speleothems. This feature forms the stalagmites which grow from the cave floor upward and stalactites which hand down from the cave ceiling. Depositional features are the result of minerals which crystalize out of ground water that is flowing, dripping or percolating in the cave.
As you enter the cave through a long tunnel and come into the central room, you will see natural formations which include stalagmites and stalactites, rock curtains and draperies, columns, flowstones, and onyx formations. As you enter the "back room" you will see where a natural waterfall once flowed. It has since dried up but has been replaced with an artificial waterfall using the same entry and exit points.
DeSoto Caverns is a privately owned outdoor park complex located near the town of Childersburg, Alabama. Hour-long guided cavern tours are offered for a fee. The tours are 1/3-mile long and are wheelchair and stroller accessible.
An earthcache has no physical log to sign – to receive credit you must answer the questions below. Do not answer the questions in your found log. PLEASE send your answers to my E-mail address for this published page.
Prior to logging this cache, email the answers to the following questions:.
1. What is the average temperature in the cave? Does it change?
2. There are three types of minerals present. What are they? Describe the colors you see?
3. As you walk around in the main room, you will see a stalagmite and stalactite, sometimes referred to as the "engaged couple", near each other. How far apart are they? How long before they touch?
4. Describe the rock formations in the "back room"
5. Update as of 4/2/2021:
[REQUIRED] In accordance with the updated guidelines from Geocaching Headquarters published in June 2019, photos are now an acceptable logging requirement and WILL BE REQUIRED TO LOG THIS CACHE. Please provide a photo of yourself or a personal item in the picture to prove you visited the site. Upload the photo with your log.
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