List of caves in Missouri facts for kids
Missouri is often called "The Cave State" because it has more than 7,500 known caves! This article will help you explore some of these amazing underground worlds, learning about where they are and when they were first opened for people to visit.
Much of Missouri, especially the Ozarks region, has a special type of landscape called karst topography. This means the ground is made of soft rocks like limestone that water can easily dissolve. Over thousands of years, rainwater seeps into cracks in the rock, slowly carving out amazing underground spaces. This process creates cool features like sinkholes (bowls in the ground where the surface has collapsed), streams that disappear underground into caves, and huge underground caves or caverns.
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Exploring Missouri's Amazing Caves
Missouri is famous for its many caves, which are natural underground tunnels and rooms. These caves are formed over a very long time as water slowly dissolves the rock. Some caves are huge and have amazing rock formations, while others are smaller and have unique histories.
What is Karst? A Look at Missouri's Unique Landscape
The word "karst" describes a landscape shaped by the dissolving of soluble bedrock, like limestone. In Missouri, this process has created a landscape full of hidden wonders. When rain falls, it picks up a little bit of carbon dioxide from the air and soil, making it slightly acidic. This weak acid then seeps into cracks in the limestone, slowly making them bigger and bigger. Over thousands of years, these cracks can become large tunnels and rooms, forming the caves we see today. This is also how sinkholes form, which are bowl-shaped depressions on the surface where the ground has collapsed into an underground void.
Famous Caves You Can Visit
Many of Missouri's caves are open to the public, offering exciting tours where you can see incredible rock formations like stalactites (hanging from the ceiling) and stalagmites (growing from the floor). Here are some of the well-known caves in Missouri:
- Bluff Dweller's Cave (opened 1927) - Located in McDonald County.
- Bridal Cave (opened 1948) - Found in Camden County.
- Crevice Cave - A large cave system in Perry County.
- Crystal Cave (opened 1893) - Known for its beautiful crystal formations.
- Current River Cavern (opened 1940) - Situated in Carter County.
- Devils Well (discovered 1954) - A deep natural pit in Shannon County.
- Devil’s Icebox Cave - Located in Boone County.
- Fantastic Caverns (discovered 1862) - Found in Greene County, this is America's only ride-through cave!
- Friede's Cave (also known as Saltpeter Cave) (known before 1865) - In Phelps County.
- Graham Cave (discovered 1847) – Located in Montgomery County, it's also a state park.
- Jacobs Cavern (opened 1903) - Found in McDonald County.
- Mark Twain Cave (opened 1886) - In Marion County, famously linked to author Mark Twain.
- Marvel Cave (opened 1894) - Located in Stone County, part of the Silver Dollar City theme park.
- Meramec Caverns (opened 1935) - In Franklin County, known for its history as a hideout.
- Onondaga Cave (opened 1897) - A beautiful cave in Crawford County.
- Onyx Cave (opened 1892) - Found in Pulaski County.
- Ozark Caverns (opened 1930s) - Located in Camden County, part of Lake of the Ozarks State Park.
- Picture Cave - In Warren County, known for its ancient Native American artwork.
- Research Cave (discovered 1950) - Found in Callaway County.
- Round Spring Cave (opened 1932) - Located in Shannon County.
- Riverbluff Cave (discovered 2001) - In Greene County, known for its Ice Age animal fossils.
- Talking Rocks Cavern (opened 1969) - Found in Stone County.
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