Journal Article
The Mammoth Cave National Park world heritage site
Bledsoe, L.A., Groves, C. and Toomey, R.
Record Number:
5276
Year:
2021
Journal:
Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie
Pages:
145–193
Volume:
62 Supplement 3
Abstract:
Abstract: Mammoth Cave and the surrounding karst landscape has long been recognized for its seemingly
never-ending labyrinth of subsurface passages, variety of underground karst features and unusual
minerals, extremely diverse flora and fauna, and karst surface landforms. With a known length of nearly
660 kilometers and still being explored, Mammoth Cave is the longest known cave system in the world,
is home to over 130 species, and preserves more than 300 million years of geologic history. Mammoth
Cave is also renowned for its well-preserved cultural resources dating back nearly 5,000 years with Native
American use as well as more recent historic uses relating to regional and American history. Due to these
extraordinary natural and cultural resources, the greater Mammoth Cave area has been an international
tourist destination since the 1800s, and the resulting attention has been a major catalyst in the movement
to protect those resources for future generations. The area became a national park in 1941. UNESCO designated
the Park as a World Heritage Site in 1981, and the core area of an International Biosphere Reserve
in 1990.
Keywords: Mammoth Cave National Park; UNESCO; The World Heritage Convention; karst; Kentucky
Times Cited:
3