Crystal Lake Cave The formation of Crystal Lake Cave is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in all of my traveling.
This cave is one of the most beautiful sights known to man. The colors are brilliant, the
formations spectacular, and if we were speaking of a car the cave would qualify as a Mercedes. If you should ever travel through Iowa this is a must see, and certainly unforgettable. This cave was formed millions of years ago when the continental seas retreated and left the land exposed to the elements, these elements shaped the land into rivers, and bluffs. Acidic water then seeped into the cracks of the limestone which were below the water table, and began to dissolve away and form cavities. The rivers and bluffs cut deeper as millions of years pass, and lowers the water table, eventually the cavities in the limestone connected, and sink holes began to appear at the surface. The water dissolves and removes the limestone which increases the size of the cavities, and links them together in a channel. When some of the caverns are above the water table they become air filled, and allow various formations to occur, while below the water table the process continues still creating more chambers. Because this cave was formed in this manner there are no
natural openings. In 1868 a minor by the name of James Rice discovered this cave by pure chance, his crew found at the bottom of a 14 m deep shaft a crevice. He began to explore the 230 m natural passage, eventually reaching a large cave. He then realized that he didn''t find ore, but discovered something much greater. James preserved the cave calling it Riceis Cave, anyone who wished to explore it could do so by being lowered down into it by a bucket. Through the years it has passed through several owners, it wasn''t until the 1930''s that it was renamed, and called Crystal Lake Cave, this was inspired by the 10 m long lake, which is 60 cm deep. The Rubles are the new owners, and have done a wonderful job making it a major site in the Midwest, along with making it a natural wonderland. Through geological time passageways have been carved, and from above water seeps depositing a profusion of formations that cover the walls, and every inch of the ceiling. The total and the types of formations are astonishing, and unforgettable to view. Rain water collects carbon dioxide, and when these two elements collide they form an acid, and through time as this occurs it forms passages large enough for people to e explore. Dubuque Iowa is a city most rich in history, it was also under water from 280 to 570 million years ago. Iowa being generally flat, and low for millions of years, even before dinosaurs evolved, cretaceous formations contained fossils of marine invertebrates, fish, and plesiosaurs. Even dinosaur bones have been found in this area, unfortunately not enough to identify the species. It is estimated that around 4000BC the 1st native Americans inhabitants occupied this area, many archeological sites are located here that include remnants of prehistoric campsites, villages, burial mounds, and mind pits. There are also various fantastic formations that can be seen at Crystal Lake Cave, these formations are unbelievable, they are all shapes, colors, and sizes. Formations can grow in various forms, shapes, sizes, and colors that are so natural that we can not reproduce these formations today, only there natural habitat can produce what is needed to develop such a world of wonder. Describing in detail what we had viewed is the following, a cave that was dark, and very cold, holding it''s temperature, and darkness 365 days a year. Walking it was like being in a maze all on one level with never ending formations, and colors. White is the color of pure calcite, orange/red is the iron impurities, purple/black is magnesium impurities, and depending on the lighting the colors change shades to extreme degree''s. Anthodites are gypsum clusters that are very rare, cave corralou see on the walls of the cave, they have somewhat of a popcorn effect. Cave flowers are speleothem with radiating pedals, flowstone are sheets of speleothem, galena is a bluish color with a metallic luster, loess is a yellowish formation believed to be caused by the winds. Helielite is a speleothem formed from calcite, it forms in many shapes, and sizes, stalactites look like large icicles from the ceiling, and can be as thin and small as a straw, or, as large as they can grow through the years, they never stop growing and forming. Stalagmites grow from the ground up, looking like upside down stalactites. Imagine yourself being able to enter the inside of a prism, standing right in the middle looking all around at the colors that are in all shapes, and sizes.