Emerald Pool
by Jon Burch Photography
Title
Emerald Pool
Artist
Jon Burch Photography
Medium
Photograph - Digital Capture
Description
An underground pool of water deep in the depths of a Texas cave sits quietly as formations grow around it. It's called "Emerald Pool" but you have to look closely to see any color other than the reflection off the walls.
The Natural Bridge Caverns are the largest known commercial caverns in Texas. The name was derived from the 60 foot natural limestone slab bridge that spans the amphitheater setting of the cavern's entrance. The span was left suspended when a sinkhole collapsed below it.
The caverns are located near the city of San Antonio, Texas in the Texas Hill Country next to the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, a drive-through wildlife safari park. The caverns feature several unique speleothems and other geological formations. The temperature inside the cave is 70 degrees Fahrenheit year-round and the humidity rate is a constant 99 percent. The deepest part of the public tour is 180 feet below the surface, although undeveloped areas of the cavern reach depths of 230 feet.
The caverns are still very active and considered living. Due to the porosity of the limestone, rainwater travels downwards through the layers of rock, where it dissolves out calcite, a weak mineral that makes up all of the speleothems at Natural Bridge Caverns. After exiting the limestone, water enters the caverns where it flows and drips constantly throughout, causing the formations to retain a waxy luster that can be seen in few caverns.
Image copyright 2016 Jon Burch Photography all rights reserved.
Uploaded
January 20th, 2016
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Viewed 169 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 04/17/2024 at 10:38 AM
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