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carbonic acid makes contact with limestone and it eats away....after a few billion yrs a cave is formed.
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First sentence... OK. That is true.
Second sentence... Even assuming the American 'billion' (ie a thousand million), that time is vastly over-scale.
1) The rock itself is unlikely to be more than a few hundred million years old: from memory c.350 000 000 for Carboniferous Limestone; 140 000 000 typical of Jurassic limestone.
2) The uplift that emplaced the limestone into hills subject to weathering and erosion is also only a few hundred million years old at best, depending on the orogeny. The latest mature orogeny so far is the Alpine, in Tertiary times so less than 65 million years old.
3) The upland surface has to be modified by erosion to uncover the limestone and allow karst processes to start. Another some millions of years.
4) Cave development starts over a very slow inception phase (look up Dr. David Lowe's 'Inception Horizon Hypothesis') that may last many hundreds of thousands, possibly one or two million, years; but once ready flow of ground water from sinks to risings through discrete conduits has been established, the process accelerates to removing perhaps a few millimetres of thickness of rock surface every1000 years. This seems a fairly typical dissolution rate for temperate-latitude caves in Carboniferous Limestone: it may be quicker or slower elsewhere.
So the age of a cave passage may be no more than some hundreds of thousands of years; the system itself may be older as its formative stream(s) move from their original conduits to new ones they have developed.
So in fact few caves are more than a few million years old, if that, although
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How does limestone caves are formed?
Limestone caves are formed through a process called karstification, where rainwater picks up carbon dioxide from the air and soil, creating a weak carbonic acid. This acidic water dissolves the limestone rock over time, creating underground cavities and passages. As the water drains away, it leaves behind caves and unique formations such as stalactites and stalagmites.
How does a acid cave form?
Limestone is the rock that is in Caves. When carbonate acid is reacted to the limestone in the caves, it will corrode forming strange caves landforms.
What chemical compounds form caves?
by limestone
Caves most commonly form in?
Caves most commonly form in areas with limestone or other soluble rocks that are easily eroded by water. The process of cave formation typically involves the dissolution of rock by acidic groundwater, creating underground voids. Over time, these voids can develop into large cave systems through ongoing erosion and geological processes.
What rock is eroded to form caves?
Mainly limestone.
Where can limestone caves befound?
generally, in limestone uplands, where the limestone is sufficiently massive to hold caves, and particularly but not exclusively where the local surface drainage can concentrate rainwater into discreet streams than can then form sink caves when they flow onto the limestone.
What type of deposit form limestone caves?
They don't! Deposits don't form caves, but limestone is a sedimentary rock formed from marine or lacustrine deposits. Caves form within limestone by dissolution of its calcium carbonate by ground-water flowing through the rock's joints, bedding-planes and faults.
What is the process of formation of caves?
Caves are formed through a process called speleogenesis, which involves the dissolution of soluble rocks like limestone, dolomite, or gypsum by groundwater. Over time, the water creates underground passages and caverns as it erodes and dissolves the rock, creating the intricate formations seen in caves. Other processes like tectonic activity, erosion, and lava flows can also contribute to cave formation.
In what type of rocks do caves form?
Caves usually and mostly forms in sedimentary rocks. Example, Limestone.
Are all caves made of limestone?
No, not all caves are made of limestone. Caves can be formed in various types of rocks, including granite, sandstone, and volcanic lava flows. Limestone caves are common because limestone is soluble and can be eroded by water to create cave systems, but caves can also form in other types of rocks through different geological processes.
How lime- stones caves formed?
Limestone caves are formed through a process called chemical weathering. Rainwater, which is slightly acidic, dissolves the limestone rock over time, creating small cracks. These cracks then widen as more water flows through, eventually forming caves. Additionally, some limestone caves are formed through the erosion of underground rivers.
Is rainwater a weak acid that dissolves limestone to form caves?
yes
