BRANSON, MO--(Marketwired - Jan 8, 2014) - Use this informative graphic prepared for our Marriott hotel guests to learn how the amazing caves of the Ozarks were formed and which ones to visit first during your next trip to Branson.

Hotels in Missouri may have everything you need to stay comfortable during your visit, but they have nothing on the splendor waiting to be discovered below ground. There are 6,000 caves across the state and they were all more or less formed in the same way, over millions of years.

A hilly topography of limestone rock is essential to the formation of caves and caverns; the latter are caves with mineral deposits, often in stunning formations. Whether you're exploring a cavern or a cave, they are the result of seismic activity from millions of years ago, pushing up rocks from shallow seas that once covered the Ozarks. Droplets of water percolated through the rocks, millennia after millennia, eating away the limestone and forming fantastic underground spaces.

In caverns throughout the Ozarks you'll find these four types of speleothems, or mineral deposits:

  • Stalactite: an icicle-shaped mineral deposit that hangs from the ceiling of a cave
  • Stalagmite: a mineral formation rising from the floor of a cave
  • Columns: places where stalactites and stalagmites meet
  • Flowstones: formations on cave walls that resemble frozen waterfalls

With hundreds of spectacular caverns within an hour of Branson hotels by Marriott, you can explore stalactites and stalagmites to your heart's content. And when you return to your hotel you'll find welcoming staff, comfortable rooms and user-friendly amenities at your disposal.

Infographic URLs
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