Crystal Cavern facts for kids
Crystal Cavern(s), also known as Alabama Caverns and McCluney Cave over the years, is a small cave in Clay, Alabama, USA. It's famous for its beautiful crystal formations.
Contents
History of Crystal Cavern
How the Cave Was Found
A person named Thomas McCluney discovered Crystal Cavern in 1840.
The Civil War Years
During the American Civil War (1861 to 1865), the cave was used for mining. People collected saltpeter from inside. Saltpeter was a key ingredient for making gunpowder.
A Tourist Hotspot
Crystal Cavern became a popular place for visitors in Clay. It first opened as "Alabama Caverns" in 1927, but then closed. By 1941, it had reopened and was renamed "Crystal Caverns." Back then, it had electric lights! The admission price was 25 cents. People described its formations as "beautiful" and looking like "metallic draperies."
However, in 1946, a biologist named Edward McCrady thought it was the "poorest commercialized cave" he had ever seen. In the early 1960s, the cave got some upgrades. By 1966, it even had camping spots with showers and restrooms! It was called a "fairyland." The cave stopped being a tourist attraction in the late 1960s. Today, it is privately owned.
Cold War Shelter
During the Cold War, Crystal Cavern had another important role. It was chosen as a fallout shelter. This meant it could protect up to 1045 people in case of a nuclear attack.
Geology of Crystal Cavern
How the Cave Formed
Crystal Cavern is part of a rock layer called the Chickamauga Limestone. It sits about 100 metres (328 feet) above another rock layer, the Copper Ridge Dolomite. The cave formed along a crack in the rock when the Appalachian Mountains were created. This happened a very long time ago, at the end of the Paleozoic Era.
Inside the cave, a type of rock called siliceous dolomite pushed out from the walls. At one point, it even formed a bridge! This happened because water flowed through channels, creating empty spaces in the limestone rock.
The Cave's Spring
The cavern once had a spring in a pit. In 1933, this spring was about 20 feet above the water table (the level where the ground is saturated with water). It only had a small drip during wet seasons. By 1946, the pool was less than a foot deep and very clear.
Animals of Crystal Cavern
Unique Cave Creatures
Crystal Cavern is home to some special animals. It's the only place where a tiny creature called a pseudoscorpion (Aphrastochthonius pecki) has been found. This pseudoscorpion was first described in 1968.
Another animal, Peck's cave snail (Glyphyalinia pecki), has been found in the cavern. It was described in 1966. The McCluney cave cricket (Euhadenoecus insolitus) is a regional species. It was first described in 1978 from specimens collected in the cave.
A white salamander was once seen in the cave's pool by Walter B. Jones. However, Edward McCrady later found the pool had no life in it. He thought the salamander might have entered the cave through one of its many cracks.
