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DeSoto巨穴中的縞瑪瑙室(Onyx
Room)
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DeSoto
巨穴
地方性遺產
您想要來一趟洞穴探勘嗎?您知道什麼是洞穴探
勘嗎?洞穴探勘是一項嗜好，即為探索、勘查洞穴，內容包括測量及繪製洞穴圖，並記錄洞穴內的植物或其他的生物。
位於阿拉巴馬中北部的DeSoto巨穴是一個絕佳的洞穴探察處，.其為美國境內少數生有令人驚嘆的石筍及鐘乳石洞穴之一；因礦物沈澱而成的圓錐狀石筍由下
向上增高；而鐘乳石則由上而下延伸。
DeSoto巨穴擁有長遠的歷史。最早的居住者為古體人 (Archaic
man，Archaic
Period, 8,000～1,000
B.C.)，其為穴居人，以小型獵物、魚及
堅果維生。經過幾個世紀後，1796年時，一個經喬治華盛頓任命的美國探員霍金斯 (Benjamin
Hawkins) ，寫了一篇闡述DeSoto巨穴是多麼宏偉、美麗的報告，使其成為美國境內第一份正式報導洞穴的報告。在內戰期間，
美國南部邦聯軍隊的火藥來源即是DeSoto巨穴中的硝酸鉀。
1965年，巨穴正式開放給一般民眾。有了高
功率燈光，人們能真正體會到巨穴的五彩繽紛之美。現在，DeSoto巨穴每年都會舉辦一些重要的週末慶祝活動。
Would you like to go spelunking? Do you know what it is? Spelunking is the exploration of caves as a hobby, including measuring and mapping caves and reporting on the plants or other things that grow in them.
The DeSoto Caverns in north central Alabama are a great place to go spelunking. They have one of the most awe-inspiring collections of stalagmites and stalactites found in the United States. A stalagmite is a cone-shaped mineral deposit that forms upward; a stalactite forms downward.
The caves have a long history. The earliest inhabitant was Archaic man (Archaic Period, 8,000 to 1,000 B.C.), a cave-dweller who lived on small game, fish and nuts. Many centuries later, in 1796, Benjamin Hawkins, a U.S. agent appointed by George Washington, wrote about the magnificent beauty of the DeSoto Caverns in a report, making it the first officially reported cave in the United States. During the Civil War, the DeSoto Caverns became a site for mining saltpeter, used in making gunpowder for the Confederate Army.
In 1965, the caverns were officially opened to the public. With high-power electric lights the caverns' colorful beauty could be fully appreciated. Today, DeSoto Caverns hosts several major weekend festivals each year.
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