answersLogoWhite

0

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.

User Avatar

Wiki User

14y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

What is limestone cave formed of?

Limestone and limestone formations.


What type of cave is Mammoth Cave?

it is a 'karst' cave, i.e. formed by the action of water on limestone.


How can a limestone cave be formed?

From dissolution and erosion of limestone by acidic water over time.


What is the opening formed when acid groundwater dissolves limestone called?

A cave?


What rocks are in the Mammoth Cave?

Fallen boulders, calcite formations and sediment! Mammoth Cave is a karst cave; formed within limestone.


How is limestone cave in Aruba formed?

Same way as any limestone cave: dissolution of the rock by weakly acidic water flwoing through fractures and other discontinuities.


How was the lascaux cave formed?

In similar ways to any cave in limestone: dissolution and other karst-landscape processes.


Why is the limestone cave sometimes called the soultion cave?

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."


What is carlsbad cavern made up of?

Mainly, fresh air surrounded by limestone! A cave is a void, or set of voids, formed within limestone.


How did erosion form mammoth cave?

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.


How would a cave be formed on earth?

Caves are generally formed in areas rich in limestone, which erodes as water flows over it over time.


A funnel-shaped depression of limestone dissolved by rain is called a cave?

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.