THE CAVERNS
Natural Splendor along the Swatara.
Like many caverns in the Mid-Atlantic states, Indian Echo
Caverns is a limestone cave. Cut through Beekmantown limestone,
which is over 440 million years old, they were formed through
the erosive properties of water. As time progressed, geological
forces led to an "uplift" of the surrounding limestone,
eventually allowing more and more water to flow through the
formation. As the water flowed over the limestone, it began
to create small crevices, these small crevices led to larger
ones, and eventually, over a series of millions of years,
it created the caverns as they are today.
The temperature inside the caverns is
52 degrees year around.
LIFE INSIDE THE CAVERNS
Life using the cavern environment can
be divided into two groups:
- Animals that live part of their lives
inside caverns.
- Animals that live their entire lives
inside caverns.
Animals that live part of their lives
inside caverns usually use it for shelter. Examples of this
type of life would be bats, bears, raccoons, and other mammals.
They are termed troglophiles.
Animals which live inside caverns for
their entire lives include some insects, crustaceans, and
blind fish. They are termed troglobites. Additionally bacteria
and fungi also inhabit caverns.
Click
here to learn more about the caverns ecology.
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