Newsome Sinks Karst Area is a privately owned

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

formation in

Morgan County, Alabama Morgan County is a county in the north central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, its population was 123,421. The county seat is Decatur. The county was created by the Alabama Territorial legislature on February 6, 1818 ...

. It was listed as a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...

in November 1973.

Description

The valley was named for William Newsome who settled in the area in 1838. It is approximately long and up to wide. The NNL covers , but the total karst area is around . There are more than forty caves in the region extending almost and up to deep. The land is part of the Cotaco Creek watershed. The underlying rock is

Bangor Limestone The Bangor Limestone is a fossil bearing Mississippian geologic formation in northern Alabama. It is a shallow marine carbonate formation in the Chesterian series.Haywick, D. W., Kopaska-Merkel, D. C., & Bersch, M. G. (2009). A biodetrital coral ...

formed in the

Mississippian Age The Mississippian ( , also known as Lower Carboniferous or Early Carboniferous) is a subperiod in the geologic timescale or a subsystem of the geologic record. It is the earlier of two subperiods of the Carboniferous period lasting from roughly ...

. There are over 15 rare species in the area, such as the

southern cavefish ''Typhlichthys subterraneus'', the southern cavefish, is a species of cavefish in the family Amblyopsidae endemic to karst regions of the eastern United States. Taxonomy ''T. subterraneus'' is a one of five obligate troglobitic species in Ambly ...

, gray bat,

Indiana bat The Indiana bat (''Myotis sodalis'') is a medium-sized mouse-eared bat native to North America. It lives primarily in Southern and Midwestern U.S. states and is listed as an endangered species. The Indiana bat is grey, black, or chestnut in colo ...

, American Hart's-tongue fern and Tennessee bladderfern. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

saltpeter Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . This alkali metal nitrate salt is also known as Indian saltpetre (large deposits of which were historically mined in India). It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitrat ...

was mined to make gunpowder here, and the Confederates had a leather tanning operation until it was destroyed by Union forces.

References

External links

Newsome Sinks Karst AreaPlants found in the area
{{authority control National Natural Landmarks in Alabama Protected areas of Morgan County, Alabama Karst caves