Chemical weathering.
Rain-water is slightly acidified by absorbing atmospheric CO2. On leaching through the joints, bedding-planes and faults with the mass of limestone, this "carbonic acid" slowly dissolves the calcium carbonate that is limestone's primary constituent.
NB: This is a very basic introduction to a very much more complex and subtleinteraction of geology, hydrology and long-term climate specific to each cave's location.
Groundwater creates caverns through a process known as dissolution, where acidic water dissolves soluble rocks like limestone, gypsum, or dolomite over time. As the water moves through cracks and fissures in the rock, it widens and deepens these spaces, eventually forming caverns. This process can take thousands to millions of years to create the large underground chambers we see in caves.
Chemical weathering, particularly when acidic water dissolves and erodes the rock, can create caves or caverns over time. This process is common in limestone regions where the rock is easily dissolved by carbonic acid found in rainwater.
Stalagmites are depositional formations found on the floor of caverns that extend upward. They are formed as mineral-rich water drips from the ceiling of the cave, leaving behind layers of calcite or other minerals that build up over time to create these formations.
The water in the caves at Laurel Caverns comes from rainfall and surface water that seeps into the ground through cracks and fractures in the limestone bedrock. Over time, this water dissolves the limestone, creating the cave passages and formations that we see today.
limestone
tunnels, caverns, caves, ravines
Caverns can be under water and underground.
Groundwater creates caverns through a process known as dissolution, where acidic water dissolves soluble rocks like limestone, gypsum, or dolomite over time. As the water moves through cracks and fissures in the rock, it widens and deepens these spaces, eventually forming caverns. This process can take thousands to millions of years to create the large underground chambers we see in caves.
water
caverns
No, most caverns form below the water table. Caverns are typically formed by the dissolution of underground limestone or other soluble rocks by water, and this process usually occurs below the water table where the rocks are saturated with water.
Caverns are typically formed through a process known as karstification, where groundwater dissolves soluble rocks like limestone and carbonate rocks over time. This dissolution, along with other factors such as erosion and tectonic forces, can create underground cavities and passageways that eventually turn into caverns.
Limestone and water are usually involved.
groundwater
No caverns are not all the same size. Cave size depends on the rock and the amount of water passing through.
Chemical weathering, particularly when acidic water dissolves and erodes the rock, can create caves or caverns over time. This process is common in limestone regions where the rock is easily dissolved by carbonic acid found in rainwater.
Caves, caverns, and sinkholes are typically formed by the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, or gypsum by water. Over time, water erodes and dissolves the rock, creating underground cavities and passages. Eventually, these cavities can collapse or become exposed at the surface, forming caves, caverns, and sinkholes.