The Limestone Cave

The Limestone Cave. . , The limestone cave has existed since the Pleistocene period, or Ice Age, of two million to ten thousand years ago. Biological deposits from an ancient sea that once covered this area formed the sedimentary rock. The newly formed limestone became exposed as sea levels receded. Over time, acidic ground water seeped into the rock to erode and form the cave before you that contains two sizeable rooms, small passageways, and cave formations. Erosion has also exposed fossils of ancient sea shells and bone breccia or bones of ancient vertebrates that are imbedded in the limestone walls., In 2005, the discovery of a fossilized tooth was identified by a paleontologist as that of the dire wolf. This prehistoric wolf has been extinct for over ten thousand years and was similar to the modern gray wolf except that it had a larger, broader head. These wolf tooth that was and shorter, sturdier legs. The dire wolf had fairly large teeth and is considered to have had the strongest bite force of any canine specie., The cave was also used as a shelter for humans throughout history. Parties of prehistoric peoples and local Native American tribes sheltered in the cave while hunting buffalo, elk, and other wild game. The 1673 English expedition under the command of James Needham and Gabriel Arthur camped at the cave on their journey westward to explore this uncharted region., [Captions:] , This mid twentieth century photograph shows Samuel Simerly, Jr. pointing out the Tipton-Haynes historic cave entrance to W.C. Phipps, Mary McCown (a Tipton descendant) and Mac McDermott., The fossilized dire wolf tooth that was discovered near the mouth of the cave. The tooth is currently being preserved at the Gray Fossil Site., This survey of the limestone cave was done by the Geosciences Department of East Tennessee State University in 2017.