Snail Shell Cave
Encyclopedia
Snail Shell Cave is a limestone
cave
in Rockvale, Tennessee
. Snail Shell Cave lies on an 88 acres (35.6 ha) preserve near Murfreesboro, Tennessee
. Snail Shell cave is owned by the Southeastern Cave Conservancy
, which has called it "one of the most biologically significant cave sites in the southeastern United States
."
The cave has more than 9 miles (14.5 km) of surveyed passages, making it the longest continuous cave in the Tennessee Central Basin region. It is part of a system of caves known to have more than 13 miles (20.9 km) of passages.
The mouth of Snail Shell Cave is a sinkhole, with nearly vertical walls, 125 feet in diameter and 60 feet deep. The cave stream flows across the bottom and may be followed upstream or downstream. The entrance to Snail Shell Cave was known to local residents, but deep water prevented serious exploration. Tom Barr and Bert Denton located the entrance in September 1951 and became the first modern cave explorers in the cave.
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Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
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...
in Rockvale, Tennessee
Rockvale, Tennessee
Rockvale is an unincorporated community in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States.The latitude of Rockvale is 35.757N. The longitude is -86.531W....
. Snail Shell Cave lies on an 88 acres (35.6 ha) preserve near Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...
. Snail Shell cave is owned by the Southeastern Cave Conservancy
Southeastern Cave Conservancy Inc.
The Southeastern Cave Conservancy is a United States not-for-profit corporation dedicated to cave conservation, caver education, and cave management. It was formed in 1991 by a group of southeastern United States cavers...
, which has called it "one of the most biologically significant cave sites in the southeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
."
The cave has more than 9 miles (14.5 km) of surveyed passages, making it the longest continuous cave in the Tennessee Central Basin region. It is part of a system of caves known to have more than 13 miles (20.9 km) of passages.
The mouth of Snail Shell Cave is a sinkhole, with nearly vertical walls, 125 feet in diameter and 60 feet deep. The cave stream flows across the bottom and may be followed upstream or downstream. The entrance to Snail Shell Cave was known to local residents, but deep water prevented serious exploration. Tom Barr and Bert Denton located the entrance in September 1951 and became the first modern cave explorers in the cave.
"The Snail Shell System of Tennessee" by Jeff Sims and Charles Cark, NSS News, August, 1982, pages 206-215.
Anyone wishing to visit Snail Shell Cave must have permission from the Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc. to enter the cave. At least one member of any group entering the cave is required to be either an SCCi or an NSS (National Speleological Society) member. Due to the deep water and flooding conditions encountered in this cave, this cave must be considered extremely dangerous and should not, under any circumstances, be entered by anyone who is not a highly-skilled cave explorer. Several people have already died in this cave.-->
Further reading
- Thomas C. Barr, Jr. (1961), Caves of Tennessee, Bulletin 61 of the Tennessee Division of Geology. Description, maps, and photographs of Snail Shell Cave are on pages 407-412.
External links
- Snail Shell Cave Management Plan, Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc., Approved 26 January 2002, Revised November 10, 2007