Take a minute to make an educated guess! 1- How do caves form? 2-Which U.S. state has the most caves? 3-How many caves are in MO?

Notes: Karst Topography Karst Topography-An area characterized by dissolution (dissolving) of underlying soluble rocks by surface water or ground water. -Named for the Karst region of China which has a lot of these features -Missouri is one of the top Karst states in the USA Named for the Karst region of China which has a lot of these features Missouri is one of the top Karst states in the USA

Five of the Features often found in Karst areas: Caves, Sinkholes, Springs, Sinking streams, Natural bridges or tunnels Caves-A natural opening in rock large enough to be entered by man and extending to points where daylight does not penetrate. How do they form? Caves form when minerals in rock are dissolved by running water or ground water, leaving an opening. (It’s like the water hallowed out an opening in the rock!) How many caves are recorded in state at this time? Missouri currently has 6037 caves recorded. Is this the most in the United States? No, Tennessee has more caves recorded than Missouri. Kentucky, Virginia, Texas, Arkansas, and West Virginia also have large numbers of caves, although fewer than Missouri. According to Missouri Speleological Survey The Wild Cave Tour

How many caves are recorded in state at this time? Missouri currently has 6037 caves recorded. Is this the most in the United States? No, Tennessee has more caves recorded than Missouri. Kentucky, Virginia, Texas, Arkansas, and West Virginia also have large numbers of caves, although fewer than Missouri. According to Missouri Speleological Survey

Rock Bridge State Park We will not be in this part of the cave, this is Devil’s Icebox cave and we are only going in a small portion of it called Conner’s Cave. This part of the cave requires you to sign up ahead of time and take special cave training to enter. **Please remind them they need to wear old tennis shoes that they can get wet or water shoes on the field trip. NO open-toed shoes, Crocs or boots. We’ll talk about more detail next week.

2. Sinkholes -are surface depressions formed by the collapse of shallow caves. These sinkholes or shallow basins may fill with water forming lakes or ponds. Sinkholes can cause a lot of problems for people! Ones that are filled with water don’t look much different than any other small lake or pond. This video clip shows a girl falling in a sinkhole while walking down the street talking on her cell phone. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#47165135

Nixa, MO

Giant sinkholes like this one are very rare, but do occasionally happen

Sinkholes in MO Concentrated in the southern and eastern parts of the state, notice the sinkholes in Saline County, point out where Marshall is

Conner’s Spring Rock Bridge State Park, MO 3. Springs- locations where ground water emerges at the surface of the earth. Conner’s Spring Rock Bridge State Park, MO The first spring looks so blue because there is a lot of dissolved limestone in the water which reflects the blue from the sky. The last picture is from our field trip overlooking conner’s spring, the students are standing on top of the end of Conner’s cave where we will be underground.

Springs in MO Again note the large number in the southern and eastern parts of the state, several in Saline County

4. Sinking streams-(also called losing streams or disappearing streams) streams which end abruptly by flowing or seeping into the ground. Sometimes they disappear quickly as in the first diagram, but more often they slowly get smaller and smaller as in the second and third diagrams. Usually streams get larger and flow into larger rivers, not get smaller until they end in a small muddy pool. Third diagram is of the very end of a sinking stream.

Sinking or losing streams in MO Again, highly concentrated in the southern and eastern parts of the state

5. Natural bridges or tunnels- a void beneath still standing bedrock, allowing human passage through from one end to the other. Emphasis the difference between this and a cave. Can pass all the way through a bridge. Can be thin and small like first picture, or quite thick and large like the second (which is the bridge that Rock Bridge State Park is named for. Rock Bridge State Park

Natural Bridge State Resort Park in Kentucky Note the people walking on this Giant natural bridge in the first picture. Rockbridge County, VA

Cave Formations: Speleothems- the name for all cave formations caused by the depositing of minerals as water evaporates in a cave.

Kinds of speleothems: 1. Stalactites- cone shaped deposits that hang from the ceiling of a cave (look like icicles made of stone) Can be different colors depending on what type of rock has been dissolved into the water.

Soda Straw stalactites Are hollow and look a lot like a soda straw, hence the name! Very delicate

2. Stalagmites- cone shaped deposits that protrude from the cave floor (like upside down icicles made of stone) Usually there are stalactites directly above a stalagmite, water drips from one onto the other. Can also be different colors depending on the type of minerals in the rock. These pictures were both taken in caves in southern MO by me

Pure white, kinda cool!

Bathtub stalagmite Have a depression in the center that holds water. Each drip splashes into the “tub” and makes a round splatter of water land around the center, building up the “tub”

Tall skinny stalagmites ( note the people on the path standing about halfway up the left side of the picture

3. Columns- when a stalactite grows down and meets a stalagmite that is growing up and they grow into each other

4. Flowstone- a layered deposit of rock where water has flowed or dripped, often forms on the walls of a cave and looks like curtains. Flowstone can take on many different shapes, first picture is called “elephant ear flowstone” Notice the person standing at the base of the formation in picture 3