Limestone is a sedimentary rock made up of calcite (CaCO3) as its main mineral. Some limestones were formed by chemical deposition and others by the accumulation of shells from minute sea creatures. Many invertebrate animals (animals with no backbones) take calcite from sea water to construct their shells. When they die the shells fall to the sea bed. Areas where there is little deposition of mud or sand will be ideal for the formation of limestone. One type of limestone which is very pure is called chalk, but most other limestones contain variable amounts of mud or sand or other material.
It's a normal karst cave, but I think (from memory) in marble rather than unaltered limestone.
The correct term is "coral reef." Coral reefs are formed by the accumulation of calcium carbonate skeletons secreted by coral polyps over time.
One common chemical test to identify limestone is the acid test. Limestone will react with hydrochloric acid to produce bubbles of carbon dioxide gas. Another test involves applying a drop of dilute hydrochloric acid to the surface of the rock; if it fizzes, then it likely contains calcium carbonate, the main component of limestone.
The melting point of limestone (calcium carbonate) is approximately 1,339 degrees Celsius (2,442 degrees Fahrenheit). At this temperature, limestone decomposes to form lime (calcium oxide) and carbon dioxide gas.
A good chemical test to determine the primary mineral in limestone is the acid reaction test. Limestone primarily consists of the mineral calcite, which reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid to produce bubbles of carbon dioxide gas. This effervescence confirms the presence of calcite as the primary mineral in limestone.
Limestone and limestone formations.
it is a 'karst' cave, i.e. formed by the action of water on limestone.
From dissolution and erosion of limestone by acidic water over time.
A cave?
Fallen boulders, calcite formations and sediment! Mammoth Cave is a karst cave; formed within limestone.
Same way as any limestone cave: dissolution of the rock by weakly acidic water flwoing through fractures and other discontinuities.
In similar ways to any cave in limestone: dissolution and other karst-landscape processes.
Limestone caves are sometimes called solution caves because they are formed through a process called solution weathering. This occurs when water containing carbon dioxide dissolves the limestone rock, creating cave systems over time. The dissolved limestone is carried away in the form of a solution, hence the term "solution cave."
Mainly, fresh air surrounded by limestone! A cave is a void, or set of voids, formed within limestone.
Mammoth cave began forming about 10 million years ago when an ancient sea covering the central United States disappeared and erosional forces let cracks and holes expose the limestone that was beneath the sea. Rainwater began to get underground and hallowed out the cave.
Caves are generally formed in areas rich in limestone, which erodes as water flows over it over time.
While a funnel-shaped depression of limestone eroded by rainwater is called a limestone pavement or a doline, a cave is a naturally occurring underground void typically formed through chemical weathering and erosion processes such as the dissolution of limestone by acidic groundwater.