Crystal Cave (Pennsylvania)
Encyclopedia
Crystal Cave is a cave
in Kutztown
, Pennsylvania
, United States
, the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country
. It has been visited by millions of people since its discovery on November 12, 1871. It was found by Gideon Merkel and John Gehret. Greenwich Township farmer Samuel D. F. Kohler bought 47 acres (190,202.4 m²) of land, including the cave, for $5,000 in 1872. The next year he began charging 25 cents admission. The cave was used, at one time, for crop storage and dances were held in the largest room.
Some rock formation
s in Crystal Cave are a half-million years old. The lowest point, Devil's den, is 155 feet (47.2 m) below the Earth's surface and in it live thirty to forty North American brown bats
. The highest point in the cave is 65 feet (19.8 m) below the Earth's surface, in an area that is called "Lookout Point", for it gives a view of two-thirds of the cave. Tours are thirty to forty-five minutes long. The cave remains at 52 °F (11.1 °C), 54 °F (12.2 °C), and 56 °F (13.3 °C) in different areas all year round. From the main entrance of the cave to the back of the cave, it measures 500 feet (152.4 m) long. One rock formation is called "The Upside-down Ice Cream Cone
", for the different-colored calcite
deposits that look like vanilla
ice cream and chocolate
ice cream, along with moss and plant life that looks like mint
ice cream. Also, there is an enormous drop rock that separates a room in two creating a natural bridge.
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...
in Kutztown
Kutztown, Pennsylvania
Kutztown is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Allentown and northeast of Reading. As of the 2000 census, the borough has a total population of 5,067. It is the site of Kutztown University.- History :...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Pennsylvania Dutch Country refers to an area of southeastern Pennsylvania, United States that by the American Revolution had a high percentage of Pennsylvania Dutch inhabitants. Religiously, there was a large portion of Lutherans. There were also German Reformed, Moravian, Amish, Mennonite and...
. It has been visited by millions of people since its discovery on November 12, 1871. It was found by Gideon Merkel and John Gehret. Greenwich Township farmer Samuel D. F. Kohler bought 47 acres (190,202.4 m²) of land, including the cave, for $5,000 in 1872. The next year he began charging 25 cents admission. The cave was used, at one time, for crop storage and dances were held in the largest room.
Some rock formation
Rock formation
This is a list of rock formations that include isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrops. These formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock...
s in Crystal Cave are a half-million years old. The lowest point, Devil's den, is 155 feet (47.2 m) below the Earth's surface and in it live thirty to forty North American brown bats
Little brown bat
The little brown bat is a species of the genus Myotis , one of the most common bats of North America...
. The highest point in the cave is 65 feet (19.8 m) below the Earth's surface, in an area that is called "Lookout Point", for it gives a view of two-thirds of the cave. Tours are thirty to forty-five minutes long. The cave remains at 52 °F (11.1 °C), 54 °F (12.2 °C), and 56 °F (13.3 °C) in different areas all year round. From the main entrance of the cave to the back of the cave, it measures 500 feet (152.4 m) long. One rock formation is called "The Upside-down Ice Cream Cone
Ice cream cone
An ice cream cone, poke or cornet is a dry, cone-shaped pastry, usually made of a wafer similar in texture to a waffle, allowing ice cream to be eaten without a bowl or spoon...
", for the different-colored calcite
Calcite
Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate . The other polymorphs are the minerals aragonite and vaterite. Aragonite will change to calcite at 380-470°C, and vaterite is even less stable.-Properties:...
deposits that look like vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
ice cream and chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
ice cream, along with moss and plant life that looks like mint
Mint (candy)
A mint is a candy characterized by the presence of mint flavoring or real mint oil, whether it be peppermint oil, spearmint oil, or another natural or artificial source...
ice cream. Also, there is an enormous drop rock that separates a room in two creating a natural bridge.