An Orientation to Mammoth Cave and This Volume

Abstract

Mammoth Cave is the longest known cave system in the world. The total surveyed length is currently 405 miles, and exploration will continue for many decades before the cave is fully mapped. This cave is famous also for prehistoric artifacts left by Indian cavers up to 5000 years ago and for its role in American history during the War of 1812. Mammoth Cave has diverse cave-adapted wildlife, so much so that it is considered a global biodiversity hot spot. It is part of the most studied karst landscape in the world; the cave and the water that formed it have been extensively researched. In both wet and dry passages, minerals have been deposited by percolating groundwater. Some of these are quite beautiful. The seemingly endless passages and interesting features have drawn people to visit Mammoth Cave for about 200 years. Tourism is still strong with roughly 500,000 people visiting Mammoth Cave National Park each year. This chapter introduces the reader to the Mammoth Cave System via an extensive set of maps and also provides an overview directing the reader to the following 17 chapters on important aspects of the cultural and natural history of the cave.

Appendix

Table 1.2 Cave-adapted animals found in the caves of Mammoth Cave National Park

Table 1.3 Animals that have been described from the Mammoth Cave karst (including the Mammoth Cave System, other caves on the park, and park springs)