Devil's Den Cave facts for kids
Devil's Den is a unique natural spring located near Williston, Florida. It's like a giant, ancient cave where the roof fell in, creating a large opening to an underground river. This opening is called a karst window. Today, Devil's Den is a popular place for SCUBA diving and snorkeling, offering a cool and clear underwater adventure. It is privately owned and run as a fun and safe place for divers to learn and explore.
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Exploring the Underwater Cave
The water in Devil's Den stays at a cool and constant 72 °F (22 °C) degrees all year round. When it's cold outside, you can often see mist rising from the water. Early settlers thought this looked like smoke from a chimney leading to a fiery place, which is how the name "Devil's Den" came about!
Originally, the opening to the cave was a small sinkhole. Visitors had to squeeze through a tiny space to reach the water. But in the 1990s, the opening was made much larger to make it easier and safer for people to get in and out.
Inside the Den
Below the surface, the cave opens up into a much wider space, shaped like an "inverted mushroom." It can be up to 200 feet (61 m) wide! The deepest part of the cave goes down about 54 ft (16.5 m). The opening at the surface is about 120 ft wide.
Over the years, the water level in the cave has changed with the water table (the level of water underground) in the area. However, the water has risen again, covering the main platform inside the cave. Devil's Den first opened to the public as a dive site in the early 1990s.
Ancient Discoveries in the Depths
From the main pool, four underwater passages stretch out into the cave. These passages are found at different depths, from 5 feet (1.5 m) to 90 feet (27 m) below the water's surface.
One of these passages, called Chamber 3, is about 70 feet (21 m) underwater. This chamber turned out to be a treasure trove of ancient history! Scientists found animal bones and even human remains there, along with artifacts (objects made by humans).
Prehistoric Animals and Early Humans
The animal bones found in Chamber 3 belonged to creatures that lived a very long time ago, during the Pleistocene epoch. These included huge mastodons, giant ground sloths, and ancient camels and horses. There were also bones from fierce predators like dire wolves and saber-toothed cats. Other animals found were bog lemmings, Florida spectacled bears, and peccaries.
The human remains discovered in Devil's Den are incredibly old, dating back to about 7,500 BC. This shows that people were exploring and using this unique natural wonder thousands of years ago!
