• Wind Cave National Park - Two Worlds

    Wind Cave

    National Park South Dakota

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  • Elk Mountain Campground Closed

    The Elk Mountain Campground is closed and will remain closed through the summer of 2013 due to across the board budget cuts.

Abstract - Formation and Detailed Description of a Portion of Wind Cave

Washburn, Richard S. 1956. The Formation and Detailed Description of a Portion of Wind Cave. Geological Engineering Department, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (for partial fulfillment of a Bachelor of Science Degree). 25 p.

Abstract

Wind Cave is located in the southern flanks of the Black Hills and is the largest cave in the area. The formation of the cave was accomplished by solution of the Pahasapa limestone below the water table along three fracture systems during the early Tertiary time.

The most prominent features of Wind Cave compared to other Black Hills caves are the abundace of boxwork and the lack of large dogtooth spar crystals and the rarity of stalactites and stalagmites.

Traverse #Y1-21 begins in the Post Office Room at benchmark C-16 and windingly proceeds westerly to its termination at station 18. Along thetraverse good examples of boxwork, popcorn and frostwork, chert nodules, cave ice, geodes, stalctites, stalagmites and flowstone are seen. Any further survey should use station 18 as a base station.

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Did You Know?

fire on the prairie

Fire is an important factor in protecting the prairie.  Historically, fires burned across the prairie every 4 to 7 years.  Fires burn the small trees that would otherwise march across the prairie and turn the grasslands to forest.