Ohio Caverns is a show cave located from

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

near West Liberty, in

Salem Township, Champaign County, Ohio Salem Township is one of the twelve townships of Champaign County, Ohio, United States. The 2010 census reported 2,539 people living in the township, 2,382 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township. Geography Located in the n ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. A popular tourist destination and member of the National Caving Association, it is the largest of all the cave systems in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and contains many

crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macro ...

formations. Approximately 90% of its stalactite and stalagmite formations are still active. The cavern system was originally an

aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials ( gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characteris ...

, holding an underground river of melted glacier water. This river eventually receded to lower levels of the ground and is now unseen.

Formation

Continued erosion of several glaciers would have been concentrated on areas around the graben, leaving this area without its protective layer of Bedford shale and more susceptible to erosion. The sunken graben area then became a topographical high, now the highest point in Ohio at the elevation of 1549 feet above sea level.Sprowls, K.M. ''Ground water pollution potential of Logan County, Ohio'', Ground Water Pollution Potential Report 36.

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

Ohio Department of Natural Resources The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is the Ohio state government agency charged with ensuring "a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all." ODNR regulates the oil and gas industry, the m ...

, 1995, 23–29.

References

External links

{{commons category, Ohio Caverns
Ohio Caverns Official Site

Caves of Ohio Landforms of Champaign County, Ohio Show caves in the United States Landmarks in Ohio Tourist attractions in Champaign County, Ohio