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 carbonate Currently calcium carbonate is used to neutralize acidic conditions in both soil and water. Since the 1970s, such "liming" has been practiced on a large scale in Sweden to mitigate acidification and several thousand lakes and streams are limed repeatedly. Calcium carbonate is also used in flue gas desulfurisation applications eliminating harmful SO and NO emissions from coal and other fossil fuels burnt in large fossil fuel power stations. Calcination of limestone using charcoal fires to produce quicklime has been practiced since antiquity by cultures all over the world. The temperature at which limestone yields calcium oxide is usually given