Tennessee

 Appalachian Caverns |  Bell Witch Cave |  Bristol Caverns |  Historic Cherokee Caverns |  Crystal Shrine Grotto |  Cumberland Caverns |  Forbidden Caverns |  Indian Cave Village |  Lost Sea |  Nickajack Cave |  Raccoon Mountain Caverns |  Ruby Falls |  Tipton-Hayes Farm Cave |  Tuckaleechee Caverns |  Virgin Falls

Tennessee is divided into three parts by the Tennessee River. It begins above Knoxville, flows southwest into Alabama and then returns some 230km west to cross the state a second time. The tree parts are:

1. The Appalachian Highlands
   East Tennessee has a lot of limestone which is karstified. Most caves of Tennessee are in this area, along the Eastern Continental Divide. This divide, running north to south, along the Appalachian Mountains, tells us that all drainage on the Tennessee side will lead to the Gulf of México. On the North Carolina side of the divide, the water flows directly to the Atlantc Ocean.
2. Interior Lowlands
   are not really low, they are only lower than the Appalachian Highlands. There are the Eastern Highland Rim and the Western Highland Rim with limestone and caves.
3. Gulf Coastal Plain
   This area between Tennessee River and Mississippi River is flat and is covered by sediment washed down from both the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians, some areas are covered by loess, a fertile aeolian sediment. However, there is no subterranean drainage, so there are no caves.

Tennessee is definitely a cave State. It has about 8,700 known caves. There are numerous commercial cave (show caves), offically there are nine. Other caves are used for spelunking tours.

See also

• Tennessee Vacation Guide
• Location: Tennessee - Caves and Caverns
• Caving in the South

Enter your search terms Submit search form   Web www.showcaves.com

Clickable Maps Alphabetical Index

Contact showcaves.com:

General Information