Missouri’s topography is karst.Long ago, what we know as Missouri was covered by seawater. That sea deposited some of Missouri’s oldest cavernous rocks and limestone. Limestone accumulates on calm, shallow sea floors. Limestone is made up of sedimentary rock composed of calcium carbonate. It is this limestone that created a karst landscape in Missouri.A karst landscape is characterized by the presence of caves, natural bridges, springs, sinkholes and losing streams—that’s where the surface stream loses a significant amount of its water flow below ground through bedrock openings. There can be, more or less, as much water below ground as there is above.
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| Section of Meremac Show caverns |
Missouri is known as The Cave State because of its large number of
caves. There are 6,900 known caves and more than 6,000 caves recorded in the Missouri Speleological
Survey's files in Rolla, with more being discovered every year. In the nation,
only Tennessee has more caves.
Our caves are among the largest and most impressive in the nation.
There are caves in 78 of our 114 counties, mostly in the Ozarks. We have 20
show caves through out the state. Our show caves are open for public tour and
governed by strict safety codes and are inspected at least once or twice a
year. Show caves are great for those who don’t feel comfortable in exploring a
cave on their own so they are in a tour group. Many of these caves are well lit
with created paths, stairs, and railings—while maintaining and preserving the
ecology of the cave.
The largest continuous karst terrain is in south-central Missouri. I live in the Missouri highlands on the Salem Plateau. One of the largest cave systems is within the Salem
Plateau. It’s like the cave factory with some of the oldest caves with Paleocene
components in the Gasconade and Eminence dolomites. It dates back millions of
years.
Our largest is Crevice Cave and is
the longest in the state with over 30 plus miles of it having been surveyed and
more to go. This surveying and exploration is made by trained cavers and
further explored and cataloged by the members of the scientific community
as
well. We also have many visiting scientist from all over the world because the
caves have some very unique features and some rare cave dwellers not to mention
fossils. Because our caves have some very fragile resources they are protected
(both those on private and public land) by some tough rules and regulations and
some caves are only open to the scientific community.
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| An entrance to Crevice cave system |
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| A section of Berome-Moore cave stalactites |
“Next door” to Crevice is Berome-Moore
Cave. It's actually a series of caves. It was discovered in 1961 as a result of cavers finding breathing hole. Once
they got that hole (only about 12 by 6 inches) expanded enough to crawl in they
eventually came upon a cavern so vast their lights could not penetrate the
darkness. Berome-Moore is an extensive system in which ancient cat tracks, an extinct
Pleistocene Jaguar, have been found. There are so many tracks in one section
they’ve named it Cat Track Passage.
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| Pleistocene Jaguar tracks |
Missouri’s caves have been in use since
ancient times. The Native American cultures have used hundreds of our caves for
shelter, burial and other religious ceremonies, as well as for a source of
water, clay, flint, and minerals. Human
burials, artifacts and rock art still bear silent witness to the way the
Indians used Missouri caves over a period of some 10,000 years.
Missourians have used caves more than 200
years. People have used Missouri caves as taverns, barns, spring houses, beer and wine
cellars and sites for social gatherings, political events and religious
services. This was because the caves were available and conveniently warm in
winter and cool in the summer (temperatures range from 58-60 degrees year
round). Settlers harnessed spring-fed cave streams to provide power for paper
mills, woolen mills, sawmills and gristmills.
Our rich karst landscape has created some
fabulous attractions and given rise to a substantial tourism trade, both above
and below ground. Visitors come for our
fishing and hunting, to explore our vast waterways, to hike and camp, and of
course, for our extensive cave systems.
Missouri truly is a beautiful state with much
to explore and do.
Photographs: Missouri Department of Conservation, MSS Cavers Reports
