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DeSoto巨穴中的缟玛瑙室(Onyx
Room)
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DeSoto
巨穴
地方性遗产
您想要来一趟洞穴探勘吗?您知道什么是洞穴探
勘吗?洞穴探勘是一项嗜好，即为探索、勘查洞穴，内容包括测量及绘制洞穴图，并记录洞穴内的植物或其他的生物。
位于阿拉巴马中北部的DeSoto巨穴是一个绝佳的洞穴探察处，.其为美国境内少数生有令人惊叹的石笋及钟乳石洞穴之一；因矿物沉淀而成的圆锥状石笋由下
向上增高；而钟乳石则由上而下延伸。
DeSoto巨穴拥有长远的历史。最早的居住者为古体人 (Archaic
man，Archaic
Period, 8,000～1,000
B.C.)，其为穴居人，以小型猎物、鱼及
坚果维生。经过几个世纪后，1796年时，一个经乔治华盛顿任命的美国探员霍金斯 (Benjamin
Hawkins) ，写了一篇阐述DeSoto巨穴是多么宏伟、美丽的报告，使其成为美国境内第一份正式报导洞穴的报告。在内战期间，
美国南部邦联军队的火药来源即是DeSoto巨穴中的硝酸钾。
1965年，巨穴正式开放给一般民众。有了高
功率灯光，人们能真正体会到巨穴的五彩缤纷之美。现在，DeSoto巨穴每年都会举办一些重要的周末庆祝活动。
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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