Bluespring Caverns
Encyclopedia
Lawrence County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 45,922 people, 18,535 households, and 13,141 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 20,560 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
, approximately 80 miles (128 km) south of Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. The cave system is a karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
and river type cave formation and drains a 15 miles² (38.8 km²) sinkhole
Sinkhole
A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...
plain. The cave contains 21 miles (33.8 km) of surveyed passages and is most notable for having the longest known subterranean river in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) of navigable river.
Discovery
The cave system was discovered as early as the 19th century. Up until 1913, the entrance used was the exodus of a spring which drained into the White RiverWhite River (Indiana)
The White River is a two-forked river that flows through central and southern Indiana and is the main tributary to the Wabash River. Via the west fork, considered to be the main stem of the river by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, the White River is long.-West Fork:The West Fork, long, is...
. However, a dam completed in 1913 on the White River closed off this entrance. In 1940, a second entrance was created after a severe storm passed through the area. A small pond on the farm of George Colglazier vanished overnight, becoming a sinkhole, and the present day entrance into the cave system. The undeveloped cave soon had Colgazier's children wanting to learn more about the newest adventure spot on the family's 100 acre (0.404686 km²) farm. Although his daughters Uzahne and Janet were not frequent visitors to the cave; his sons, Norman, James, Lee and Daniel were fascinated by the cave. Soon word of the largest opening of Bluesprings Caverns spread and the Colglazier family welcomed visitors from around the world as others descended on the small farm to explore the caverns. George Colglazier and his wife, Eva, lived on their family farm and welcomed visitors to the caverns until the death of George Colglazier in the early 1980s. Colglazier nor his wife ever profited from Bluesprings Caverns, they made their living as hard-working dairy farmers. They freely allowed cave explorers on their property and asked them to obey one rule, "not to destroy or remove from the caverns".
Geology and temperature
The cave was formed in two types of limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, separated by a thin layer of shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
. The two types of limestone are:
- Indiana (Salem) Limestone
- St. Louis LimestoneSt. Louis LimestoneThe St. Louis Limestone is a large geologic formation covering a wide area of the midwest of the United States. It is named after an exposure at St. Louis, Missouri. It consists of sedimentary limestone with scattered chert beds, including the heavily chertified Lost River Chert Bed in the Horse...
The cave remains a constant 54°F (14°C) temperature throughout the year.
Inhabitants
The cave is host to a number of species, including crayfishCrayfish
Crayfish, crawfish, or crawdads – members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea – are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related...
, salamander
Salamander
Salamander is a common name of approximately 500 species of amphibians. They are typically characterized by a superficially lizard-like appearance, with their slender bodies, short noses, and long tails. All known fossils and extinct species fall under the order Caudata, while sometimes the extant...
s, cricket
Cricket (insect)
Crickets, family Gryllidae , are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers, and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets . They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae. There are about 900 species of crickets...
s, spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s, and beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
s. Most notable among these is the rare sightless Northern Cavefish
Northern Cavefish
Amblyopsis spelaea, The northern cavefish, northern blindfish, or blind cavefish of the mammoth cave is found in caves through Kentucky and southern Indiana...
, which is abundant in this cave system. A small number of bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s make this cave their home, especially during winter. However, the frequent flooding of this cave system discourages bat habitation year-round.
Visitation
Visitation to the cave is controlled by Bluespring Caverns Park, a commercial corporation. The featured activity is an hour-long boat ride on the subterranean river in a 17-person boat equipped with lighting. This ride is offered seasonally in the months of April through October. The park also offers overnight adventures for organized youth groups from October through April.Bluespring Caverns are one of four show caves in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. The other three are Marengo Cave
Marengo Cave
Marengo Cave is located in Marengo, Indiana. One of only four show caves in Indiana, public tours of the cave have been given since 1883. Tours commenced just days after the cave's discovery by two school children.-The Discovery:...
, Wyandotte Caves
Wyandotte Caves
Wyandotte Caves, a pair of limestone caves located on the Ohio River in Harrison-Crawford State Forest in Crawford County, five miles north-east of Leavenworth and 12 miles from Corydon in southern Indiana, is a popular tourist attraction. Wyandotte Caves were designated a National Natural...
, and Squire Boone Caverns
Squire Boone Caverns
Squire Boone Caverns and Village is a cavern exploration attraction in Mauckport, Indiana . The park consists of a one-hour walking tour into the caverns, as well as a working pioneer village and grist mill.-Park's History:...
. Twin caves
Twin caves
Twin Caves is part of the Donaldson/Bronson/Twin system located in Lawrence County, Indiana, within the boundaries of Spring Mill State Park. The system stretches more than four miles....
, located in Spring Mill State Park
Spring Mill State Park
Spring Mill State Park is a state park in the state of Indiana. The park is located to the south of Bloomington, about east of the town of Mitchell on Indiana Highway 60....
, about 15 minutes south of Bluespring Caverns, near Mitchell, Indiana
Mitchell, Indiana
Mitchell is a city in Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,567 as of the 2000 census.It is the birthplace of astronaut Gus Grissom, who flew on Liberty Bell 7, Gemini 3, and died in a launch pad fire at Kennedy Space Center in 1967....
offers a 20-minute boat tour into the cave which goes back about 600 feet (182.9 m). Twin Caves is owned and operated by the state of Indiana and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is the agency of the U.S. state of Indiana charged with maintaining natural areas such as state parks, state forests, recreation areas, etc...
Facts
- The cave is the 29th longest in the United States.
- The cave is the 109th longest in the world.
- The cave is the 3rd-longest cave in the state of Indiana.
See also
- Above and BelowAbove and BelowAbove and Below is a installation by American artist Maya Lin, best known for her design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. It is on display at and owned by the Indianapolis Museum of Art located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States...
by artist Maya LinMaya LinMaya Ying Lin is an American artist who is known for her work in sculpture and landscape art. She is the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.-Personal life:...
which was inspired by Lin's exploration of the Caverns, in the collection of the Indianapolis Museum of ArtIndianapolis Museum of ArtThe Indianapolis Museum of Art is an encyclopedic art museum located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum, which underwent a $74 million expansion in 2005, is located on a campus on the near northwest area outside downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery.The...