Cold Water Cave
Encyclopedia
Cold Water Spring State Preserve is a 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) parcel state preserve protecting a spring that issues from Cold Water Cave, an extensive cave
system in Winneshiek County, Iowa
and Fillmore County, Minnesota
. The spring is a tributary of the Upper Iowa River
.
The cave system contains a large underground creek that courses around much of the cave's nearly 16 miles (25.7 km) of passages. The cave system has some unusual features such as its rate of expansion, which is higher than that of most caves. It also has relatively low amounts of oxygen
and high amounts of carbon dioxide
. The cave is a National Natural Landmark
, designated in 1987.
There are two entries; both are on private property.
Coldwater Creek Wildlife Management Area is a state hunting ground near Bluffton, and is near to the cave system.
The cave is located in the Driftless Area of Iowa and Minnesota, a region characterized by karst topography
, which involves disappearing streams, blind valleys, sinkhole
s, cave
s, cold springs, and cold streams, all of which are present here.
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
system in Winneshiek County, Iowa
Winneshiek County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 21,056 in the county, with a population density of . There were 8,721 housing units, of which 7,997 were occupied.-2000 census:...
and Fillmore County, Minnesota
Fillmore County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,122 people, 8,228 households, and 5,718 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile . There were 8,908 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...
. The spring is a tributary of the Upper Iowa River
Upper Iowa River
The Upper Iowa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwest of the United States.Its headwaters are in southeastern Minnesota, in Mower County near the border with Iowa. It then flows through the Iowa counties of Howard, Winneshiek, and Allamakee, and finally into the Upper...
.
The cave system contains a large underground creek that courses around much of the cave's nearly 16 miles (25.7 km) of passages. The cave system has some unusual features such as its rate of expansion, which is higher than that of most caves. It also has relatively low amounts of oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
and high amounts of carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
. The cave is a National Natural Landmark
National Natural Landmark
The National Natural Landmark program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in...
, designated in 1987.
There are two entries; both are on private property.
Coldwater Creek Wildlife Management Area is a state hunting ground near Bluffton, and is near to the cave system.
The cave is located in the Driftless Area of Iowa and Minnesota, a region characterized by karst topography
Karst topography
Karst topography is a geologic formation shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite, but has also been documented for weathering resistant rocks like quartzite given the right conditions.Due to subterranean drainage, there...
, which involves disappearing streams, blind valleys, sinkhole
Sinkhole
A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...
s, cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s, cold springs, and cold streams, all of which are present here.
Sources
- Cold Water Spring State Preserve Retrieved July 22, 2007
- Karstpreserve.com (An excellent site, maintained by John Ackerman, the man who has done most to explicate the cave system), Retrieved July 22, 2007
- Interview with John Ackerman, July, 2003, Retrieved July 22, 2007 (This is an excellent source of information, from the horse's mouth, so to speak)