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adaptation — the process of making adjustments in response to the environment.

anastomoses — small, winding tubes that interconnect with each other in a maze-like pattern, normally along bedding-planes; frequently seen on ceilings where the rocks below have fallen away.

aquatic — describes a surface or underwater habitat and the animals that live in or on it.

aquifer — a zone of the earth saturated with water.

artifact — an object produced by human workmanship.

bat — the only mammal that can fly, known for its use of echolocation to move and hunt in the dark.

Bat gate — a gate constructed at the entrance of a cave or mine, designed to prevent humans from entering while permitting free entrance and exit of bats, other creatures and natural airflow.

bed — a layer in rocks.

bedding plane — the surface between two contiguous layers of rock.

breakdown — a large or small accumulation of rock filling all or part of a cave passage after the collapse of part of the walls and ceiling.

calcite — a mineral (CaCO3) composed of calcium carbonate; the principal component of limestone.

calcium carbonate — a compound (CaCO3) found in nature as calcite; in shells and used in making lime and cement.

cane — a plant that grows in wetlands along rivers; they were used as torches by prehistoric explorers of Mammoth Cave; remnant of used torches are still found in the cave.

carbon-14 dating — the process by which the radioactive decay of the carbon-14 isotope is measured to determine the age of organic (once living) items. Most useful for objects 100 years to 70,000 years old.

carbonic acid — a weak acid (H2CO3) formed by water reacting with CO2, especially in the soil.. This acid can dissolve limestone, and is the primary agent in the creation of Mammoth Cave.

cartography — the science and art of making maps. Modern cavers survey caves as they explore them and later draft maps from these surveys.

cave — a natural underground chamber or passage big enough to be entered by people. v. to explore a cave.

Cave coral — a cave formation consisting of small knobby clusters. See popcorn.

caver — a person who explores caves. Less commonly known as a spelunker.

cavern — an underground chamber often of large size. See cave.

chert — a hard smooth rock ranging from white to black, also referred to as flint, often found in layers of limestone. This rock, found at Mammoth Cave, was often used for tools and as a fire starter by Native Americans and pioneers.

chiroptera — "hand-wing;" the scientific order that bats belong to.

column — a cave formation (speleothem) formed when stalactites and stalagmites grow together, or when one of them grows all the way to the floor or ceiling.

commercial cave — see show cave.

consumption — see tuberculosis.

dolomite — a limestone or marble rich in magnesium carbonate. Caves such as those found at Oregon Caves National Monument are formed in dolomite.

dome — a vertical shaft in a cave as viewed from the bottom; formed by water dripping or flowing straight down through vertical cracks. See pit.

disappearing stream — in a karst region, a river or stream that flows into a sinkhole or crack and from there into an underground or cave river system.

discharge zone — the area where water emerges. In a cave, the discharge come out of a spring where ground water emerges as surface water into a stream, lake, or ocean.

dissolve — to cause to pass into solution, to separate into component parts. Carbonic acid dissolves limestone by separating the calcium and carbonate and creating a liquid.

drapery — a speleothem which forms when drops of water run down along a slanted ceiling; also known as "bacon."

dye tracing — the process used by scientists to track the path and speed of water through a cave. Environmentally safe dye is put into streams and sinkholes; then water in the cave and at discharge areas is tested for the presence of dye and noted for the speed at which the dye moved through the system.

echolocation — the ability of an animal to orient itself by receiving the reflection of sounds it produces, such as with bats and dolphins.

ecology — the study of the interrelationships of organisms and their environments.

endemic — a plant or animal native to a specific area and habitat and found no where else. One shrimp species and several other animals are endemic to Mammoth Cave.

endangered species — an animal or plant species whose population has decreased to the point where it is in danger of disappearing forever. Also a federal or state legal term noting an animal with special protections.

epsomite — a magnesium sulfate mineral (MgSO4•7H2O), usually white, colorless or gray, found in Mammoth Cave. Epsomite is valued for its medicinal properties; commonly sold as "epsom salts."

erode — to wear away by the action of water, wind, or glacial ice.

erosion — the action or process of eroding. While weathering separates materials and breaks them down, erosion transports materials to a new location.

evaporation — changing of liquids into a gas.

extinction — the process by which an animal or plant that once existed can no longer survive and then can not be found alive anywhere on earth.

extirpation — the process by which an animal or plant that once lived in a region can no longer survive in that region and can no longer be found there; usually due to hunting, habitat loss, or pollution. Bison and bears, for example, have been extirpated from the Mammoth Cave region but still survive elsewhere.

flint — see chert.

flowstone — a speleothem formed when water flows down walls, over floors, or over older formations.

food chain — a series of plants and animals linked by their food relationships; for example: a plant, a plant-eating insect, and an insect-eating bat would form a simple food chain.

fossil — a remnant, impression, or trace of an animal or plant of past geologic ages that has been preserved in the earth's crust.

geology — the study of the history of the earth and its life, especially as recorded in its rocks.

groundwater — water that infiltrates the soil and is stored in slowly flowing reservoirs (aquifers); used loosely to refer to any water beneath the land surface.

guano — the rich manure of bat dung.

gypsum — a sodium calcium sulfate mineral (CaSO4•2H2O), colorless, white, or yellowish, found in powder or crystal form. Used for plaster, cement, and medicinal purposes; thought to be mined by Native Americans. Found in dry sections of Mammoth Cave, where it precipitates from the walls in the form of gypsum "flowers."

habitat — the place or type of site where an animal or plant naturally or normally lives and grows; the arrangement of food, water, shelter, and space suitable to an animal's needs.

helictites — speleothems that grow as small, twisted structures that project at varying angles.

hibernacula — places where bats or other animals hibernate, or sleep, during the winter to conserve energy.

karst — an irregular limestone region with sinkholes, disappearing streams, underground streams, and caves.

limestone — a rock that is formed chiefly by accumulation of organic remains (shells or coral), consists mainly of calcium carbonate; frequently contains fossils. The primary rock in Mammoth Cave, and the primary rock found in caves worldwide.

mammoth — of immense size, — also a now-extinct specie of animal related to the modern elephant; it was very large and covered in fur. Mammoth Cave is known for its Mammoth size.

mineral — an inorganic (non-living) substance occurring naturally in the earth and having definite physical and chemical properties.

mirabillite — hydrous sodium sulfate

mummified — natural version: a human or animal that has been naturally dehydrated and thereby preserved for a long period of time; at Mammoth Cave, humans, bats, and other animals are thought to have been well preserved by the constant humidity and temperature and the presence of salts in the cave soil.

paleontology — the study of life from past geologic periods by examining plant and animal fossils.

paleofeces — fossilized human or animal feces. By studying paleofeces we learn what humans were eating when exploring the cave 3000 years ago.

passage — in a cave, the corridor created by water and rock falls.

pH — a scientific measure of hydrogen ion activity to determine the acid or base level of a substance. Water dissolving Mammoth Cave has a slightly acidic pH.

pit — in a cave, a vertical shaft as viewed from above, formed by dripping or falling water through a vertical crack. See dome.

popcorn — a calcite speleothem with the appearance of popcorn.

pollution — the fouling of water or air with sewage, industrial waste, or other contaminants, making them unfit to support many forms of life.

radon — a heavy radioactive gaseous element formed by the disintegration of uranium and thorium. It is colorless, tasteless, and odorless and found commonly in bedrock and sediments. All rocks and soil, including the limestone found in Mammoth Cave, contain varying amounts of radon.

recharge zone — the area from which a body of water is recharged. In the Mammoth Cave region, the cave and groundwater recharge zone may be many miles from the cave itself and may include disappearing springs and sinkholes.

rimstone dam — thin mineral crusts formed at the edge of some cavern pools as calcite-rich water flows over the edge.

saltpeter (also saltpetre) — a potassium nitrate compound converted from calcium nitrates often found in dry caves and used in making gunpowder.

sandstone — a sedimentary rock made up of small pieces of rock, usually silicates such as quartz, that have been cemented together over time. Sandstone serves as the caprock on top of the limestone layer Mammoth Cave was formed in.

scallops — spoon-shaped hollows dissolved in the cave walls, floors, and ceilings by flowing water; the shape and size of the scallops tell scientists what direction the water was moving and how fast.

sediment — rocks or fragments transported by wind, water, gravity, or ice; precipitated by chemical reactions; or secreted by organisms.

sedimentary rocks — a rock formed of fragments transported from their source, usually by water. The sediments are usually laid down in layers. Sandstone and limestone, the two major rocks found at Mammoth Cave, are both sedimentary.

selenite — clear gypsum, often found as needle-like crystals in the dirt of undisturbed parts of the cave.

shaft — a vertical passage in a cave formed by water dripping or flowing through vertical cracks in the bedrock.

shale — a sedimentary rock formed by the consolidation of fine particles of clay, mud, or silt. Sometimes known as mudstone or siltstone. This rock along with sandstone forms the roof of Mammoth cave.

show cave — a cave developed for public use, usually with paths, electric lights, stairways, or other conveniences. Also known as commercial caves.

sinkhole — a depression in the ground caused by the collapse of underlying rock in which fluids collect; in a limestone region, sinkholes often drain into cave systems.

soda straws — speleothems that grow on cave ceilings as thin-walled hollow tubes. They are formed by water flowing inside the tube and depositing rings of calcite around their tips.

speleology — the scientific study of the cave environment, including the physical, chemical, and biological aspects.

speleothem — cave formations: secondary mineral deposits formed in caves, caused by the dissolution of minerals (such as calcite) and their subsequent deposition in crystalline form in growing layers in a variety of shapes.

spelunker — see caver.

spring — a natural flow of water from the ground, often the source of an above-ground stream.

stalactite — a common speleothem which hangs down from the ceiling.

stalagmite — a common speleothem which rises up from the caved floor from calcite dripped from the ceiling.

stewardship —related to the environment, the concept of resposible care-taking; based on the premise that we do not own the resource, but are managers of the resources and are responsible to future generations for their condition.

travertine — general term for calcite speleothems.

troglobite — an animal that lives its entire life within a cave and is specifically adapted to life in total darkness (some by losing their eyes or lacking pigmentation (color)). Examples at Mammoth Cave include the eyeless fish, shrimp, and crayfish.

troglophile — animals that can live all their lives either inside or outside a cave. Examples at Mammoth Cave include, salamanders, springtails, and spiders.

trogloxene — an animal that spends part of its life in caves, but must venture out for food. These animals bring organic materials important to troglophile and troglobite survival into the cave. Examples at Mammoth Cave include crickets, woodrats, and bats.

twilight zone — the part of a cave near the entrance where light penetrates but does not receive direct sunlight, extending to the zone of absolute dark. An important habitat for many trogloxenes.

tuberculosis — a disease, also know as consumption or "TB," which leads to the degeneration of the lungs; still found throughout the world though uncommon in the United States. Now curable but historically fatal. In 1840 Dr. John Croghan, owner of Mammoth Cave, built a hospital within Mammoth Cave to treat sufferers of TB, believing the constant temperature and humidity would help in their recovery.

vandalism — the willful or malicious destruction or damage of any public or private property.

watershed — an area of land where all water collects and drains into a common body of water (such as a river or lake).

water table —the upper level of the underground reservoir of water; the level below which the ground is saturated.

weathering — the action of the elements in altering the color, texture, composition, or form of exposed objects, removing material physically or chemically. Water, wind, trees, and chemicals can cause weathering. At Mammoth Cave, the limestone is weathered by carbonic acid.

wild cave — a cave in its natural state, not developed for public use, in contrast with show caves.

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