Alabaster Caverns State Park
Encyclopedia
Alabaster Caverns State Park, near Freedom, Oklahoma
is a 200 acre (0.809372 km²) state park and home to the largest natural gypsum
cave
in the world that is open to the public. The gypsum
is mostly in the form of alabaster
. There are several types of alabaster found at the site, including pink, white, and the rare black alabaster
. This black alabaster can be found in only three veins in the world, one each in Oklahoma, Italy
and China
. Another form of gypsum can be found in the many beautiful selenite crystal formations.
Daily cave tours are available on the hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tours are led by state park naturalists who point out and describe many of the cave's natural features. A fee is charged for the tours and there is a maximum number of participants for each tour. Wild caving is available at the park with appropriate equipment. The park also features RV and tent camping areas, picnic areas, hiking trails, group picnic areas, and recreational facilities such as horseshoe pits and volleyball courts.
Alabaster Caverns is served by a dedicated spur from the Oklahoma state highway system, State Highway 50A.
. Some are solitary while others are colonial. The cavern provides roosting sites that serve as daytime shelter and a place for the non-migrating bats to hibernate
during the winter months. The Mexican Free-tailed Bat
migrates to Alabaster Caverns from Mexico
in the spring to bear their young. They then return to Mexico in the fall.
Bat species found in the cave include the Cave Myotis
, Western Big-eared Bat, Eastern Pipistrelle
, Western Big Brown Bat, and the Mexican Free-tailed Bat
.
Freedom, Oklahoma
Freedom is a town in Woods County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 289 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Freedom is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land.-Climate:...
is a 200 acre (0.809372 km²) state park and home to the largest natural gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
in the world that is open to the public. The gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
is mostly in the form of alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
. There are several types of alabaster found at the site, including pink, white, and the rare black alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
. This black alabaster can be found in only three veins in the world, one each in Oklahoma, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Another form of gypsum can be found in the many beautiful selenite crystal formations.
Daily cave tours are available on the hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tours are led by state park naturalists who point out and describe many of the cave's natural features. A fee is charged for the tours and there is a maximum number of participants for each tour. Wild caving is available at the park with appropriate equipment. The park also features RV and tent camping areas, picnic areas, hiking trails, group picnic areas, and recreational facilities such as horseshoe pits and volleyball courts.
Alabaster Caverns is served by a dedicated spur from the Oklahoma state highway system, State Highway 50A.
Geology
The underground site was created naturally around 20,000 years ago when the area of what is now north-western Oklahoma was covered by an inland sea. A perennial stream now flows through the cave and is fed by various lateral tunnels and seepage from the roof. However, the stream was once as big as a river. The evidence of this can be seen in the obviously water-sculptured gypsum formations. According to geologists, the river was once capable of completely filling the 3/4 mile (1.2 km) long caverns.Wildlife
The cavern is home to five different species of batBat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
. Some are solitary while others are colonial. The cavern provides roosting sites that serve as daytime shelter and a place for the non-migrating bats to hibernate
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
during the winter months. The Mexican Free-tailed Bat
Mexican Free-tailed Bat
The Mexican free-tailed bat , also known as the Brazilian free-tailed bat, is a medium-sized bat that is native to the Americas and is widely regarded as one of the most abundant mammals in North America...
migrates to Alabaster Caverns from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in the spring to bear their young. They then return to Mexico in the fall.
Bat species found in the cave include the Cave Myotis
Cave Myotis
The Cave Myotis is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and in the southwest United States....
, Western Big-eared Bat, Eastern Pipistrelle
Eastern Pipistrelle
The Tricolored Bat is a species of bat that is widely distributed throughout the eastern parts of North America, ranging west until Kansas and Texas, from Honduras up north until southern Ontario...
, Western Big Brown Bat, and the Mexican Free-tailed Bat
Mexican Free-tailed Bat
The Mexican free-tailed bat , also known as the Brazilian free-tailed bat, is a medium-sized bat that is native to the Americas and is widely regarded as one of the most abundant mammals in North America...
.