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Wind Cave National ParkCavers in Wind Cave
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Wind Cave National Park
Minerals Found in Wind Cave

Aragonite - Most commonly seem as frostwork, Christmas trees, and rims.

Calcite - In Wind Cave, calcite is found in a wide variety of forms. Most commonly it is found in boxwork. It is also found as spar, both nailhead and dogtooth, as flowstone, stalactites, stalagmites, columns, popcorn, tower coral, rafts, coatings, moonmilk, helictites, helictite bushes, and draperies.

Endelilite - there is one unconfirmed reported location for this mineral west of the Club Room. It is in the form of a coating.

Goethite - Found near Seismic Hall, north of the Club Room, and at the Crown Jewels in the form of coatings and hoods.

Gypsum - In Wind Cave, gypsum is found in a variety of forms. It has been found as crusts, flowers, starbursts, needles, luster, and cotton.

Hematite - Found as inclusions in calcite spar and boxwork and occasionally as individual crystals 1-3 mm. Responsible for the coloration of the boxwork.

Huntite - this has been found as moonmilk in Snowdrift Avenue.

Hydromagnesite - This is most commonly seen as moonmilk, but we have one, possibly two balloons in Wind Cave.

Ice - Ice has been noted around the Natural Entrance area and was seen in the form of stalagmites, frostwork, and stalactites.

Manganese - Exists in small quantities as dendrites, and occasionally as a sediment deposit.

Mirabilite - Found as a crust of 1 cm long crystals.

Quartz - Found in several places in the cave. It typically is a crust of spar crystals over chert or calcite. The Crown Jewels, Rome, and the Bed of Nails are a few of the locations. It is also present in the thin white powdery crusts found in the upper levels of the cave.

Romanechite - To date this mineral has only been found in one location in Navidad.

The prairie and the cave of Wind Cave National Park.  

Did You Know?
Wind Cave became a national park in 1903. It is one of the nation's oldest national parks. Today the park not only protects the 4th longest cave in the world, it protects an amazing prairie ecosystem and the wildlife associated with it.

Last Updated: January 25, 2007 at 11:58 EST