Jewel Cave South Dakota
Jewel Cave National Monument
Different. Massive. With the geological forces of dissolution and deposition doing the decorating. Surrounded by Dogtooth Spar a calcite crystal as a reminder that the cave air you are breathing was once water filled saturated with the calcium leached from the encompassing limestone. With the waters receding the overlying rain continued to leach and deposit stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstone. Artificially lit by electric lights the glow illuminates the stone with vivid color. And there is still a panoramic view as one explores the cathedral ceilings and what seems to be never ending passages in the third longest known cave. (currently mapped at over 180 miles)
Read MoreDifferent. Massive. With the geological forces of dissolution and deposition doing the decorating. Surrounded by Dogtooth Spar a calcite crystal as a reminder that the cave air you are breathing was once water filled saturated with the calcium leached from the encompassing limestone. With the waters receding the overlying rain continued to leach and deposit stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstone. Artificially lit by electric lights the glow illuminates the stone with vivid color. And there is still a panoramic view as one explores the cathedral ceilings and what seems to be never ending passages in the third longest known cave. (currently mapped at over 180 miles)
