Cave of the Mounds the Interior and the National Park Service. To be considered a NNL, "a site must be one of the best examples of a natural region's characteristic biotic or geologic features." Cave of the Mounds is home to many varieties of speleothems. As with most caves, stalactites and stalagmites are common. Formations found inside the cave include: These formations come in many different brilliant colors such as reds, browns, blues, and grays. The reds and browns are caused by the presence of iron oxide in the formation. Similarly, blues and grays are caused by manganese oxide. Some speleothems are even partially
Calcium oxide are important commodity chemicals. Calcium oxide is usually made by the thermal decomposition of materials, such as limestone or seashells, that contain calcium carbonate (CaCO; mineral calcite) in a lime kiln. This is accomplished by heating the material to above , a process called calcination or "lime-burning", to liberate a molecule of carbon dioxide (CO), leaving quicklime. The quicklime is not stable and, when cooled, will spontaneously react with CO from the air until, after enough time, it will be completely converted back to calcium carbonate unless slaked with water to set as lime plaster or lime mortar. Annual worldwide