Wittenberg University Speleological Society
Wittenberg University Speleological Society
The Wittenberg University Speleological Society will be celebrating its 30th Anniversary during the weekend of April 9th - 11th, 2010. Events will be held on Wittenberg University campus in Springfield, Ohio. All past and present WUSSes are encouraged to return to campus for this unforgettable event!
For a complete schedule of events please click here
For more information regarding the speaker, accommodations, Ohio Caverns, and directions please scroll down.
You won't want to miss Annette's presentation, titled: "From WUSSified to WUSSitude"
Annette Summers Engel is a member of the Board of Directors for KWI, and is also the Vice President for Communications. She holds a PhD from The University of Texas at Austin. She is a past recipient of the James G. Mitchell award from the National Speleological Society, and is a Fellow of the NSS. She is on the Advisory Board for the Journal of Cave and Karst Studies and is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Sedimentary Research. Her research interests span karst geology and geochemistry, the molecular microbial ecology of extreme environments and symbiosis, and the linkages between geography, geochemistry, and microbial diversity in subsurface habitats. She has done research in many karst regions in the United States, but has also studied the Movile Cave in Romania, Frasassi Caves in Italy, and karst springs and caves in Slovenia, as well as the El Tatio geyser field in the northern Atacama Desert, Chile, and the Tengchong geothermal area of China. Annette is an Assistant Professor at Louisiana State University in the Departments of Geology and Geophysics and Biological Sciences.
WUSS has arranged for hotel rooms to be set aside for the weekend of the event to assist with your lodging needs. We have made special arrangements with the following hotels. In order to receive the WUSS rate you must notify the hotel that you are a member of the “Caving Club.”
1870 West 1st St.
Springfield, OH 45504
Office: (937) 323-9554
$79 + tax per night
To see a map from the hotel to campus, please click here
1751 West 1st Street
Springfield, OH 45504
Office: (937) 322-2200
$82 + tax per night
To see a map from the hotel to campus, please click here
100 S. Fountain Ave.
Springfield, OH 45502
Office: (937) 322-3600
$82 + tax per night
To see a map from the hotel to campus, please click here
We will be taking a trip to Ohio Caverns on Saturday morning. WUSS will provide transportation, however the address is below if you wish to drive yourself.
2210 East State Route 245
West Liberty, Ohio 43357
(937) 465-4017
We have also provided a map from campus to Ohio Caverns here
History of Ohio Caverns
Concealed beneath the rolling farmland and wooded countryside of Champaign County, Ohio, the caverns were formed thousands of years ago when an underground river cut through ancient limestone and created vast rooms and passageways that later filled with countless crystal stalactites, stalagmites and other amazing formations.
Today, these once-hidden caves are one of Ohio's top tourist attractions — a place unlike anywhere else in the nation, and within an easy day-trip drive of anyplace in the state. The caverns remain a steady 54 degrees year-round, regardless of the surface temperature. The humidity is always above 90 percent, and the air inside the caverns is cleaner than the air above ground — filtered by the water that formed the caves and still drips today. The caverns are the largest in the state, with over 2 miles of surveyed passageways ranging in depth from 30 feet to the deepest point of 103 feet. Special tours take you into the "historic" part of the cave — the portion first discovered and opened decades ago.
The exact age of the caverns, long marketed as the place "Where Nature Carved a Fairyland," is unknown. The Columbus Grey Limestone in which the caverns are carved is some 400 million years old, formed from the compacted remains of the creatures that lived in the shallow seas that covered prehistoric Ohio. The oldest crystal — estimated by the current cave environmental conditions — is 250,000 years old.
The rate of formation for most crystals is unbelievably slow: It takes 500 to 1,000 years for a cubic inch of calcite crystal to be formed. Ninety-five percent of the cavern's formations are still active and growing. The largest and most famous formation in the Ohio Caverns is the Crystal King, a pure white wonder that is one of the largest and most perfectly formed stalactites in any cave, anywhere. Nearly five feet long, weighing an estimated 400 pounds, and estimated to be over 200,000 years old; it drips once every seven to eight minutes.
In addition to being known for their wide variety of colors, from blue to orange to bright white and deep, reddish-black, the Ohio Caverns contain a brilliant array of formations and features — fascinating rock formations, ranging from wavy ribbons of luminous white stone to upside-down forests of tiny straws that twist, turn and curl upon themselves.
There are remarkable "dual formations," combinations of iron-oxide and calcium crystals that are quite rare, unseen in most caves but fairly plentiful in the Ohio Caverns. There is "Fantasyland," a large, open chamber that brims with stalactites and stalagmites. There is the "Palace of the Gods" and the "Big Room," which comprise a half-acre, open chamber packed with a breathtaking array of crystal formations that defy the imagination in complexity and delicacy of design.
Guests from around the world come and visit the 35 acre park with many amenities, but most of all they come to enjoy the natural beauty that lies underground in the Ohio Caverns.
WUSS will be providing taxi services to all of the events during the weekend including the parties, the Seneca Caverns trip, and the banquet. Please talk to one of the officers during the Meet and Greet on Friday to arrange a pickup. If you would like to drive yourself, we have included some directions below.
Wittenberg Campus Map
The campus map, found here, has locations for the Kuss Science Center, the Student Center, the Shouvlin Center, Metra Sharif's house, and parking lots marked on it.
Directions to Friday Night's Party (Metra Sharif's House)
Address: 114 W. College Ave., Springfield, OH 45504
From the Kuss Science Center (Plum and Bill Edwards) take Bill Edwards past the HPER Center. At the stop sign go straight until you reach North Fountain Ave. Turn right. Go through the first traffic light, then turn right onto W. College. House is on the right.
To see a map from the Science Center to Metra Sharif's House, please click here
Directions to Saturday Night's Party (Hobbs' House)
Address: 601 White Oak Dr., Springfield, OH 45504
From the banquet (Shouvlin Center)take a left onto Ward St. then another left onto Fountain Ave. Turn left onto McCreight and continue around the sharp bend. Turn left at the first traffic light. Go through 4 lights and turn left onto Upper Valley Pike at the 5th light. You will pass a par 3 golf course on the right. Take a right onto Ironwood Dr. Go one block and turn left onto White Oak. Continue up the hill until the stop sign, go through the stop sign and enter the cul-de-sac which terminates in Hobbs’ driveway.
To see a map from the banquet to Dr. Hobbs' House, please click here
take nothing but pictures- leave nothing but footprints- kill nothing but time
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