To witness the beginning of the formation of Wind Cave, one of the world's oldest caves, you would have to have been here 320 million years ago. At that time parts of the limestone that constitute the upper levels of Wind Cave were being dissolved into cave passageways. As ancient ocean levels fluctuated, these passages were filled with sediments. Beneath the ocean, a thick layer of sediments continued to be deposited above that limestone.

About 60 million years ago, the forces that uplifted the Rocky Mountains also uplifted the modern Black Hills producing large fractures and cracks in the overlying limestone. Over millions of years, water moving slowly through those cracks dissolved the limestone to produce the complex maze of the cave's passages.

Later erosion changed surface drainage patterns that caused subsurface water levels to drop, draining the cave passages. As the modern Wind Cave formed, many of these newer passages intersected the original cave, revealing the red clay and sandstone sediments from 320 million years ago.

It was after the cave formed that most of the colorful cave formations began to decorate its walls. One of the most prominent features in Wind Cave is boxwork -- thin, honeycomb-shaped structures of calcite that protrude from the walls and ceilings. Nowhere else in the world can such a large display be seen. Some of the better known cave formations, such as stalactites and stalagmites, are rare here.

Links to Other Resources
(These open a new browser window.)

Maps

Area Map and Cave Map of Wind Cave NP

Detailed NPS Map of Wind Cave NP, Adobe PDF Format   Very Detailed. May be slow to load.

Detailed Schematic Map of the Caves

Multimedia

The Virtual Cave   Photos and geology of cave formations from all over the world, including the "boxwork" of Wind Cave.

Information

Bird Checklist of Wind Cave NP