• Feb. 12, 2008 - ew
• Feb. 4, 2008 - the day i got a krown.
• Feb. 3, 2008 - Mammoth Cave #2
Varied Forests
woodland, a number of unique communities of
plants – hemlocks and other northern plants growing
in cool moist ravines, wetlands, and open barrens
with prairie vegetation – contribute much to
the variety in plant life and harbor many of the
park’s rare species. Currently, botanists are updating
the park plant list. So far, 872 species of flowering
plants have been confirmed, and the list is still
growing. Of these species, 21 are currently listed as
endangered, threatened or of special concern.
Active management, including prescribed burning,
may be needed in order to protect some habitats in
the park.
While most of the park consists of second-growth
A Diversity of Life
Teeming Rivers
park, supports an unusual diversity of fish, including
five species that have not been found anywhere
else in the world, and three species of cavefish.
Another group of aquatic animals, freshwater
mussels, survive in the sand and gravel of the
Green River. Over 50 species of mussels, including
three on the endangered species list, live in the
park. Aquatic animals in the river play an important
role in providing nourishment for other animals –
in the cave, in the river, and on the land.
The Green River, which meanders through the
Things That Go Bump In
the Dark
On first glance, in walking into Mammoth Cave, the
dark and quiet passageways may appear nearly
devoid of life. But first impressions can be deceiving,
and surprisingly, biologists have discovered
over 200 species of animals in Mammoth Cave!
Animals in the cave include everything from surface
animals that have accidentally stumbled or tumbled
into the cave – like raccoons and bullfrogs – to 42
species of troglobites, animals adapted exclusively
to life in the darkness. One of Mammoth Cave’s
claims to fame, besides its length and wealth of
human history, is its biological variety. The diversity
of cave animals in the Mammoth Cave area rivals
the richness of any caveland region in the world. To
a biologist, a cave is a wildlife sanctuary – a retreat
for animals so specialized in structure and habit
that they cannot endure conditions on the surface.
To understand the survival techniques of cave
animals, we need to first take a closer look at three
environmental factors governing Mammoth Cave.
First of all, the cave world does not change as
rapidly as our sunlit world; however, change does
occur. The cave has its own cycles and rhythms of
life. The temperature of the cave varies due to air
movement near the entrances, the location (on
ridges or in valleys), and the temperature of water
entering the cave. In a sense, the cave has its own
weather system. Wind is created by temperature
differences between the entrance and interior
passageways. This causes a "chimney effect,"
resulting in a wind chill factor underground. The
chimney effect can also produce "rain" inside the
cave by altering the dewpoint. The final contributor
to cave weather is the barometric pressure. Barometric
changes affect air movement, humidity levels
and dew points. Subtle weather changes in the cave
make it possible for a perceptive caver to discern
outside weather conditions, even though he or she
may be hundreds of feet below the surface.
Secondly, Mammoth Cave is intricately tied to the
outside world. The cave is different from our
world, but the survival of cave life depends on the
surface. Plants, through photosynthesis and
through their own decay, release carbon dioxide
that combines with water in the air and in the soil,
to form weak carbonic acid that carves the cave. In
Mammoth Cave
U.S. Department of the Interior
Mammoth Cave
National Park
National Park Service
Mammoth Cave National Park’s 52,700 acres
of biological diversity in Kentucky. The surface contains animals typical of an eastern
hardwood forest. Larger animals include white-tailed deer, fox, raccoon, opossum,
woodchuck, beaver, rabbit and squirrel. Smaller animals, such as bats, mice and chipmunks,
also abound. Many reptiles and amphibians find protection in the park too.
Birds such as mourning doves, whippoorwills, owls, hawks, woodpeckers, and warblers
fly through Mammoth Cave’s forests. Wild turkeys reintroduced in 1983 are now
regularly seen by visitors.
constitute one of the greatest protectors Comments (0)
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• Feb. 3, 2008 - Mammoth cave
The Ancient World
was located much closer to the equator. A shallow
sea covered most of the southeastern United States,
and its warm water supported a dense population of
tiny organisms whose shells were made of calcium
carbonate (CaCO3). As these creatures died, their
shells accumulated by the billions on the sea fl oor.
In addition, calcium carbonate can precipitate from
the water itself. The build-up of material continued
for 70 million years accumulating seven hundred
feet of limestone and shale followed by sixty feet of
sandstone that was deposited over much of the area
by a large river system fl owing into the sea from the
north.
About 280 million years ago the sea level started to
fall exposing the layers of limestone and sandstone.
Additional tectonic forces caused the earth’s crust
to slowly rise causing cracks to form in and between
the limestone and sandstone formations. As the uplift
continued, rivers developed which over millions
of years have created the sandstone-capped plateau
above the Green River and the low, almost fl at limestone
plain which extends southeast of I-65.
350 million years ago the North American continent
Beneath the surface of South Central Kentucky
dark, seemingly endless passageways. The geological processes which formed this world
referred to as Mammoth Cave began hundreds of millions of years ago and continue
today.
lies a world characterized by miles of
Look Beneath
“Acid Rain”
seeped downward through cracks in the limestone
and began to dissolve and create the labyrinth
of passages we know as Mammoth Cave. As the
land continued to rise slowly, Green River eroded
its channel deeper and deeper, passages created
drained through the limestone toward the river
which became the out-source for waters creating
the cave. Because the major drains carried the most
water, they enlarged faster. As Green River eroded
its channel deeper into the bedrock, cave passages
continued dropping to the same level as the Green
River. Upper level passages drained and became
dry. At the present water table, cave passages are still
forming.
Rain water, acidifi ed by carbon dioxide in the soil
Surface Clues
existence of caves. Road cuts along the highway
expose vast amounts of soluble limestone which
display solutionally enlarged vertical cracks, an indicator
that caves are forming. The undulating landscape
along the interstate is created by crater like
depressions called “sinkholes’, which funnel surface
water into the passages below. It is referred to as the
“Land of 10,000 sinks” or the Sinkhole Plain. At the
southeast edge of the Sinkhole Plain, surface streams
suddenly sink underground joining the drainage
from thousands of sinkholes and continuing to the
Northwest where they become the underground rivers
in Mammoth Cave. Soluble limestone, sinkholes,
sinking streams and caves create a landform called
Karst Topography.
As you approach the park, several clues suggest the
Mammoth Cave
U.S. Department of the Interior
Mammoth Cave
National Park
National Park Service
Driving Northwest from Cave City or Park City, you
climb the Chester Escarpment which rises some 300
feet above the sinkhole plain. Beyond the top of the
escarpment the plateau is divided into fl at sandstone
capped ridges separated by steep, limestone-fl oored
The Uplands
capped ridges that protect the cave.
valleys with many sinkholes. It is the sandstone Comments (0)
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• Jan. 24, 2008 - a good day in winter.
Today was a good day last night was actulay pie day but we had pie tonight and a lot of other stuff.and my brothers have a righting group.
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• Jan. 22, 2008 - Im a popcorn kernal
amagen you were a popcorn kernal ready to pop in a lost bag in a basment then somewhone fineally found you . you got poped then you got hung on a christmas tree and you were there for a month and you came down thee end . Comments (0)
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• Sep. 18, 2007 -
i like sumer sumer becuse i go swiming a lot .i like winter becuse the snow.i like spring becuse the flowers . i likefall becuse the leaves. i have 3 dogs, 2ferrets, 2turtels,1 corn snake ,a 20 yaer old cat, and 2 older brothers. Comments (0)
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• Sep. 16, 2007 - thebestdayof.my.life
well i like sumer spring winter and fall.
Summer is my favorite because I went to King's Island many times and I went to Hocking Hills and Olentangy Caverns. I got to see caves, mine rocks, ride roller coasters and see fireworks.
I like to play soccer.
I learned to fish this year.
I am a Wolf cubscout this year.
I am raising Monarch catterpillars with my brothers and mommy. One just became a crysallis today! His name is Vee Hunka - for Very hungry Catterpillar. Sophia, Tiny, Hunka Munka and Erik are still catterpillars. They are in many different sizes.
I like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, spy stuff, geocaching and letterboxing. I love animals, insects, reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds, etc. I have many pets. 2 Lhaso Apsos, 1 Lab mix, a 20 yro cat, 2 ferrets 2 turtles, 1 cornsnake and 5 monarch catterpillars. You can see some of the photos at my mom's blog www.homeschoolblogger.com/mychara . I hope to post pics on my blog soon. I am just learning to type, my mom is helping me right now.
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• Aug. 21, 2007 -
• Jul. 17, 2007 - my summer
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