Jewel Cave : The Story Behind the Scenery

by Karen S. Rosga, K.C. DenDooven (Designer), Cheri C. Madison (Editor)

Myriads of speleothems, or cave decorations, grace the underground realm of Jewel Cave. Fragile enough to succumb to a single touch, delicate aragonite crystals known as frostwork radiate outward like translucent spikes of ice. Jewel Cave National Monument, in southwestern South Dakota, was established in 1908 to preserve Jewel Cave, the second longest cave in the United States and third longest in the world.

Genres: Travel

48 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1998

Reviews

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purchased this when we visited Jewel Cave on a trip to South Dakota. It went over much of the stuff I missed on our tour when my kids were dominating my attention, so that was good. I like that it talks about how the outside environment affects the environment inside the cave, and the photos of the speleothems were great (I only had my phone with me, so my photos are a bit limited). I only wish there was more information on the extents of the cave - maps, examples of some of the extremes and rooms found, etc - it's a very short book and I could have read more on the topic (as could I think anyone compelled to buy a book on it).