Russell Cave National Monument
| Russell Cave National Monument | |||
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| Location: | Alabama , United States | ||
| Next city: | Bridgeport, Alabama | ||
| Surface: | 1.3 km² | ||
| Founding: | May 11, 1961 | ||
| Visitors: | 23,496 (2005) | ||
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The Russell Cave National Monument is an archaeological site in a populated before at least 9000 years cave. It is located in the northeast of the US state Alabama and was designated by John F. Kennedy by a Presidential Proclamation as a National Monument on May 11, 1961 . The National Geographic Society donated the 1.25 km² area to the United States. It is administered by the National Park Service and has been listed as a site on the National Register of Historic Places since October 15, 1966 .
With a mapped length of 11.6 km, the cave is the third largest in the state of Alabama. It is number 90 in the list of the longest caves in the United States and number 314 worldwide. The extraordinary large entrance served as a shelter for the prehistoric natives.
geology
The limestone surrounding the Rusell Cave was formed about 300 million years ago from the deposits of skeletons and shells from a lake that existed at that time. The slightly acid rainwater absorbed from the air by carbon dioxide loosened part of the limestone and created the cave. About 10,000 years ago, part of the roof collapsed near Doran's Cove . The resulting gullet opened access to the cave.
For a long time the cave was inaccessible by water currents, but another rock fall diverted the water currents so that part of the floor became accessible. Further collapses in the ceiling raised the entire floor of the cave by more than 2 meters, and in the vicinity of the entrance by as much as 9 meters. In 1960 the cave was secured by various measures to prevent further collapses.
The opening of the cave is to the east, so that cold north and north-west winds are kept away, which favored the settlement by animals and humans.
history
Early history
Finds of broken fragments of flint and charcoal show that the cave has been used by humans for over 9,000 years. The age of the finds was determined by radiocarbon dating . The access, which is protected from the weather, made the cave an ideal place of refuge, especially in autumn and winter, especially since water was always available due to the lack of frost inside the cave due to the river flowing through it. The surrounding mixed forest offered extensive food resources such as gray squirrels , raccoons , hares , gray foxes and turkeys . But larger mammals such as bears and deer were also the basis of food according to bone finds. The forest also offered plenty of vegetable food.
Archaeological research
To date, archaeologists have found over 2 tons of artifacts, including charcoal, bones as food scraps as well as tools such as fishhooks and pottery shards. The remains of human bodies were also found, which were only superficially buried and without any grave goods.
The first relics were found in 1953 when an expedition from the Tennessee Archaeological Society and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga began digging in the cave. The first excavations were carried out to about a meter, the type and number of finds led to three further excavations (1956 to 1958) by the Smithsonian Institution together with the National Geographic Society . The National Park Service carried out the last excavation to date in 1962, examining up to 10 meters underground.
biology
The cave is home to 2 bat species. The river flowing through the cave is home to Groppen . Snakes like the North American copperhead , rattlesnakes and king snakes take refuge in the cave. Over 115 species of birds have been observed around the cave.
See also
Web links
- National Park Service: Russell Cave National Monument (official site; English)
- GORP: Russel Cave National Monument
Individual evidence
- ^ Russell Cave National Monument in the National Register Information System. National Park Service , accessed March 20, 2020.
- ↑ Eric Madelaine: Long Caves of the World . World Cave Database. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
- ↑ John T. Hack, Geology of Russell Cave, Investigations in Russell Cave (Publications in Archeology 13), National Park Service
- ^ Monuments - The Story of Russell Cave . GORP. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
- ^ Russell Cave National Monument - Frequently Asked Questions . US National Park Service. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
- ↑ Geology Fieldnotes - Russell Cave National Monument . US National Park Service. Archived from the original on October 12, 2006. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved October 28, 2006.
