4.4 Terrestrial Communities
community descriptions. Appendix G provides a list of common and scientifc species names for SGCN and priority species for which there are knowledge gaps or management concerns. Appendix H identifes SGCN and the habitats they are associated with.
4.4.1 Caves and Mines 4.4.1.1 Ecosystem Description
Te majority of documented caves occur in the Mountain ecoregion, though there are some caves present in all regions of the state, including the Coastal Plain. Tere are sev- eral diferent types of natural caves; however, the most common types are solution caves, fssure caves, and rock shelter/boulder caves. Tese types difer primarily in the way they are formed. Solution caves are created by the action of water dissolving the underlying rock to form tunnels. Over time, solution caves get larger and larger and are generally the most exten- sive (size and length of passage). Tere are a few areas of North Carolina with underlying limestone geology which lend themselves to solution cave formations. Most notably the Nantahala Gorge and North Fork Catawba River/Linville Mountain area of western North Carolina and parts of the Coastal Plain are underlain with limestone (marble, dolomite, and marl respectively). Fissure caves are formed by movement of the earth’s surface, which results in cracks in the rock layers. Depending on the actual events which spawn the development, fssure caves have varying sizes and confguration. Fissure caves occur in many places in North Carolina, though one of the most well-known and largest fssure cave systems in the world occurs in Hickorynut Gorge in Rutherford County. Rock shelter/boulder caves are formed by erosive forces, weather events, earth surface movements, and other factors which essentially leave spaces underneath/behind surface rock. Te vast majority of caves in North Carolina are rock shelter/boulder caves. Owing to their diversity of formation, geology, and range in the state, caves in North Carolina are quite variable in terms of both the plant and animal communities adapted to, and found in them. In addition, an extensive mining history in North Carolina has provided numerous sub- terranean excavations which can and do mimic the environmental conditions of natural caves. Like caves, mines come in many shapes and forms, depending upon numerous factors. Tere are many mines which do not provide conditions similar to those found in caves, such as open pit mines, strip mines, and quarries. Our defnition of the caves and mines habitat type is intended to include only mines which include subterranean
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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