Cave - Northwest Florida: Waterways & Wildlife

Florida Museum of Natural History

Cave

As with our previous museum, the cave itself is a signature part of this exhibition and the visitor experiences what it is like to be inside a northwest Florida cave. The cave is modeled after one found in Marianna Caverns State Park. While exploring the cave, visitors will learn about minerals, hydrology, cave life and the fossils found in its limestone layers.
Jeff Gage photo

Move to the Seepage Bog > >

Focus On...

FOCUS ON: Speleothems - Cave Formations

Caves form when groundwater fills limestone cavities. This groundwater is weakly acidic and slowly dissolves the limestone by a chemical process called dissolution. Later, water drains out and the cave fills with air. 100,000 years ago you would have needed SCUBA gear to explore this cave.

Dripping water forms and reforms caves. Rain water percolates down through the soil and limestone into the air-filled cave. As it moves, the water dissolves tiny quantities of limestone. The water re-deposits the minerals from the limestone on the ceilings, walls, and floors of the cave in formations called speleothems:


Stalactites Stalactites are icicle-like structures that hang from the cave ceiling. They form as calcium carbonate is precipitated from water that flows from ceiling cracks. Dale Johnson photo		Stalagmites Stalagmites develop on the cave floor as mineral-rich water seeps from above and drops to the floor below. These structures stretch upward toward the cave ceiling. Dale Johnson photo

Soda Straws Soda straws are very small, hollow, stalactites. Sometimes minerals in the water clog the hollow end or the water supply exceeds the capacity of the tube. When this occurs they cease to be soda straws and just become stalactites. Dale Johnson photo		Columns Columns occur when stalactites from above and stalagmites from below meet to form a single unit. Dale Johnson photo

Flowstone Flowstone or dripstone forms in caves as calcium carbonate is deposited by water seeping through the rock. Dale Johnson photo		Wedding Cake Wedding Cake is the term for a large stalagmite that resembles a multi-layer cake. Usually, the stalagmite is covered by white flowstone. Dale Johnson photo

Curtains Curtains, sometimes called drapery, are thin sheets of flowstone that hang or project from the cave wall. Dale Johnson photo		Bacon Bacon is a term used for sheets of thin, translucent, banded flowstone. They may project from the roof or the walls of a cave. Dale Johnson photo

Cave Cautions

Cave exploration can be dangerous. Responsible cavers learn about safety rules, procedures, and equipment. They minimize the impact of their presence on these fragile environments. Damage caused in a moment can last for centuries. To learn more about caving, join a caving club or the National Speleological Society.