Petty John's Cave popular destinations of the cave. Formations in Petty John's Cave include: Stalagmites that are a type of speleothem that rises from the floor of a limestone cave due to the dripping of mineralized solutions and the deposition of calcium carbonate. Stalactites are also found in the cave. These formations hang from the ceiling or wall of the cave. There are also pillars, soda straws, cave pearls, flowstones, and cave popcorn are other formations in the cave. In addition, waterfalls can be found in the stream passage section. This cave hosts tri-colored bats during their winter hibernation because temperatures are low
Cave of the Mounds air instead of water, the water droplets coming from the "lifeline", which are saturated with dissolved calcium carbonate, deposit solid calcium carbonate, which builds up over time to create speleothems. This is a very gradual process, usually taking 50 to 150 years to form one cubic inch of material, and continues to this day. The area around the Blue Mounds, Dane County, was first settled by Europeans in 1828 by Ebenezer Brigham, a successful lead miner from Massachusetts. He had traveled to Wisconsin to join in the lead rush of the late 1820s. After arriving, he set up operations just