Mammoth Cave National Park.

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The Mammoth Caves National Park
The Mammoth Cave derives its name from its sheer magnitude rather than from any association to wooly mammoths. Stretching to an excess of 400km, the complex network connections of tunnels in the cave accumulate to a form that is longer than the second and third largest cave systems in the world combined. The cave is not entirely explored, and there is no particular information of how long the caves might be. 400km length represents the amount of distance that has been covered from various entrances. There are 30 openings leading into the caves of which seven are naturally existent while the others are human-made or naturally occurring but modifies for ease of access. It is, therefore, a wondrous feature that is a major tourist attraction site for the South Kentucky where it is situated. The geological formation of the area forms a karst scenery. The area around the caves is characterized by limestone earth crust. In karst scenery, the soluble limestone dissolves to live behind resistant rocks as protruding sharp stretches in natural sinkholes. The process of karst formation occurs over a period of millions of years, and this region has been declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. (“What Are Some Of The Geological Features In Mammoth Cave?” 1)
Limestone, the major rock making up the crust in this area is quickly dissolved in natural water. The area is capped by sandstone. The sandstone is insoluble and thus prevents the crumbling of the caves.

Most of the limestone in the area is still concentrated on with the natural water that continues weathering it slowly by slowly, and this is probably one of the reasons why there is no known end to the tunnels as they keep extending with time. Additionally, it is difficult to fully explore the caves as some of the tunnels run into areas below the ground water level. Any cave or opening of the cavernous network that is below the groundwater level is covered by water. The tunnels of the cave act as natural stream valleys for seasonal rivers which drain into the only permanent surface stream on the park known as Green River. Meanwhile, the water that is already dissolved into the limestone acts as ground water reservoirs and replenishes wells in the nearby region. (Kuniansky 1)
The nature of the materials in the cavernous area is not restricted to limestone. Some of the resistant rocks such as sandstone may also expand to form the wide gaps that form the caves today. This happens through water rock weathering processes. If there exists very tiny gaps in the rock surfaces, small drops of water can filter in during the rainy season. If the droplets remain through to winter, these water droplets are going to freeze. The anomalous expansion of water when it goes below4oC makes the water molecules begin pushing the crack outwards and therefore enlarging the gaps. Consequently, more water gaps can settle into the gap and thus expand the crack even further as the season’s progress. (Kuniansky 1) Over a span of millions of years, the gaps will enlarge to form the hollow structures observed in the mammoth cave today. These resistant rocks are essential to the formation of the cave because they sustain the structure of the cave. If the cave were purely limestone, then the entire structure would crumble with time as the limestone continues to dissolve.
Smaller caves continue to be enlarged through the action of water. In the rainy season, water enters through small entrances to form numerous tributaries flowing through the tunnels. The water moves at a very high speed as the hydraulic head increases with increase in gradient in the tunnels. This enhances the rate of weathering that happens along the walls of the caves thus enlarging the caves. Most of the caves that are above the groundwater level are extend to form the canyon. This implies that most of the caves are bigger in height when compared to their breadth. These caves are often tilted depending on the layering of the rocks. Those tunnels that are found in the lower areas which are below the water level are often more tabular in shape. In these sections, water stops flowing according to the layering thus causing tilts but follows the path of easiest convenience and drains into the nearest destination such as the Green River.
The cave has not exact birth date but is ex-approximated to be more that 2.5million years old. This age is reached through the radioactive evaluation of sediments that are deposited on the base of the tunes. Observing the sand particles and how much radioactive energy they emit can determine how long the particles have been in the tunnels. (Kuniansky 1)This method is however not very accurate. One of the reasons for this is that to have sediments deposited means that the tubes for the movement of water were already existent. It is also possible that the original deposits have been moved by the water or metamorphosed into other rock structures. However, this method is accurate in determining the difference ages in the tunnels. The drainage system of the tunnels expands to more than 100 square kilometers, and the layering allows the water to follow easily along the caves.
The entire length of the caves is not restricted to the national park. Various circular sinkholes can be observed as a tourist approaches the park from Kentucky. The upper area of the caves is platue in nature. A place is a vast flat area that extends for miles. Such topographical areas are an indication of volcanic activity. A volcanic eruption accompanied by a lot of magma flow extending over many kilometers results in flat areas with savanna-like vegetations. The limestone nature of the earth crust around this region is also an indication of the volcanic activity in the formation of the area.
There are many developmental projects that are happening in the mammoth cave national park. As early as 1926, the community around the caves had begun understanding the importance of the cave and thus formed associations to protect it. The enshrining of the area as a national park and later enlisting as a world heritage by UNESCO has increased the popularity of the caves. Today, this is among the most popular tourist sites in North America. To create ease of access, there are numerous developments to allow tourists to visit the area easily. Among the most geologically important developments are the modernization of tunnel entries and paths. Of the 400km that are explored, only about 9 miles are open for tourism with the presence of a tour guide. The majority of these areas have been reinforced to ensure they do no collapse inwards. (“What Are Some Of The Geological Features In Mammoth Cave?” 1) Most of the paths have been modified into concrete and precise staircases with support rails for support.
The significance of this is that it slows down or prevents the weathering and therefore alters the natural cause of the tunnels. The application of concrete to the floor of the tunnels means that the water can not dissolves into the limestone below. Any modification of the natural environment usually has negative repercussion for the biodiversity. The mammoth cave is known to have the widest ecological biodiversity of global cave ecosystems. (“Geologic Formations – Mammoth Cave National Park (U.S. National Park Service)” 1) It has over 300 known species and much more that have not been identified especially in the unexplored areas. Environmental impact assessment tests have always indicated that most animals do no thrive within interactive human regions. The increase in the in the number of tourists is likely to cause migration of species to deeper regions of the cave. Given the unique nature of this cave, it is possible that inner areas or any other areas may not be favorable to the wildlife and thus the developments could lead to the extinction of some species. This change is still in progress. Progression in the exploration of the pack allows more area of the tunnels to be marked as safe for tourism and thus more and more space is being modified and opened to the public.
While there is a possibility of biodiversity loss, there are also immense benefits from the development of the tunnels. The booming tourism is of tremendous financial significance to the local authorities in the region. (“Geologic Formations – Mammoth Cave National Park (U.S. National Park Service)” 1) Apart from this, the ability to navigate the area offers broad educative possibilities for the geographic enthusiast. Easy access to the caves has increased human knowledge on geological formations as well as ecological studies. This can help in the conservation of such a pack as well as the preservation of other caves in other parts of the world. It is essential that conservation efforts be directed towards striking a balance between economic ventures and ecological sustainability.
Among the most spectacular feature of the caves are the disappearing rivers. There are numerous streams within the caves that disappear into the ground surface and later emerge further ahead into the canyon. This explains the curious absence of or rivers and streams in an area that receives above 50cm of rainfall. Most of the streams flow underground. This suggests that the sinkholes open up to other canyons in the lower levels. The streams later emerge to form large pools of water on the surface of the canyons. The absence of the surface streams also makes the green river a geological significance. This river is the primary drainage system for the underground river systems. Meanwhile, it is meandering continually erodes its sides which result in opens up more outlets for the underground streams. These areas are favorable for the establishment of various layers and therefore favor the solution processes that form the sinkholes and the caves. The green river thus contributes significantly to the continued development of the mammoth caves network. (Livesay and McGrain 16)
The mammoth cave is a UNESCO world heritage site that is acclaimed for its magnificence and magnitude. Its occurrence results from the solution processes on the limestone crustal rock. The caves, which have formed over millions of years creates crucial ecological habitats for hundreds of species and spectacular tourism destination site.

Works Cited
“Geologic Formations – Mammoth Cave National Park (U.S. National Park Service)”. Nps.gov. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
Kuniansky, Eve. “USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5023”. Pubs.usgs.gov. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
Livesay, Ann and Preston McGrain. GEOLOGY OF THE MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK ARE. 1st ed. LEXINGTON: UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, 2016. Print.
“What Are Some Of The Geological Features In Mammoth Cave?”. Traveltips.usatoday.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.