Speleology

Harrison's Cave in Barbados was formed over thousands of years through the process of water erosion and chemical weathering. Rainwater mixed with carbon dioxide creates a weak carbonic acid that dissolves the limestone rock, creating underground cavities and passageways. As the water flows, it deposits minerals, forming the unique stalactites and stalagmites that can be seen in the cave today.

Stalactites hang from the cave ceiling, formed by mineral deposits dripping from above. Stalagmites rise from the cave floor, created by mineral deposits building up from the ground. When a stalactite and stalagmite meet, they form a column.

The Precambrian time, which includes the majority of Earth's history, began approximately 4.6 billion years ago with the formation of the Earth. This time period encompasses about 88% of geologic time and is divided into the Hadean, Archean, and Proterozoic eons.

The vast majority of the world's caves are in limestone, due to that rock's solubility in weakly-acid water, so lie within limestone uplands offering suitable combinations of structural, hydrological and long-term climate controls favourable to cave and other karst feature development.

Lava Tubes are found in some basalt lava flows - e.g. on Iceland & the Canary Islands.

Mass-movement caves occur behind cliff-faces and valley walls under certain conditions - they are landslip features.

There are few other type of minor caves dotted around in various other rocks, too.

When the roof of a cave wears away and the ground sinks in, it forms a sinkhole. Sinkholes are depressions or holes in the ground that are typically caused by the collapse of surface material into underground caves or voids.

No one benefits from earthquakes. They result in loss of lives, damage to infrastructure, and economic disruptions. Governments, relief organizations, and communities work to provide aid and support to those affected by earthquakes.

Apart from accidentals that fall or are washed into caves, and rarely survive for long there, there are two categories.

1) Creatures like bats who roost, hibernate or nurse their young in caves but feed outside. Others find cave entrance areas pleasant shelter for safety or for habitat reasons.

2) Full cave-dwellers, living their entire lives underground, and generally unable to survive outside. Most are invertebrates but it includes some species of salamander and fish.

Solid limestone may change into a cave when it is dissolved by acidic rainwater or groundwater over long periods of time. The water dissolves the limestone, creating underground voids and passages that eventually form a cave system. Other factors like tectonic activity or volcanic activity can also contribute to cave formation in certain circumstances.

In all limestone caves, the same as as is "evident" - by the cave's very existence - as in all the limesrtone caves and other karst features in your country - chemical weathering! (Dissolution by carbonic acid.)

SPELEOTHEMS: Stalactites, stalactites, curtains (draperies in US caving), straws (fine tubular stalactites - 'soda straws' in US), flowstone, gour pools (I think 'rimstone' pools, ditto), cave pearls, helictites (aka 'erratics' but rather unwisely because that is already a definite geological term for a boulder left far from source by a glacier.

They are all of calcite, crystalline calcium carbonate.

Gold is typically not found in limestone caves. Gold is formed through geological processes such as hydrothermal deposition and erosion, while limestone is a sedimentary rock formed from the accumulation of calcium carbonate. However, gold can be found in certain types of geological formations such as quartz veins and placer deposits.

Yarrangobilly Caves were formed by the dissolving of limestone by acidic groundwater over millions of years. The caves contain various formations such as stalactites, stalagmites, and columns created by the deposition of minerals from dripping water. The underground chambers were ultimately carved out by the slow erosion process of water flowing through the limestone bedrock.

Groundwater affects cave formation by dissolving minerals in the rock, creating passageways and chambers. Over time, this process can lead to the formation of stalactites, stalagmites, and other cave formations. Additionally, groundwater can contribute to the erosion of cave walls and ceilings, shaping the overall structure of the cave.

A stalactite is a thin hollow tube that forms when water drips from the cave ceiling through its center, leaving behind mineral deposits that build up over time.

Below the water table is the saturated zone, where the pores in the rock or soil are filled with water. This is where groundwater is stored and flows, providing water for wells and springs. The unsaturated zone above the water table contains both air and water in the pores.

A sea arch forms when the rock of a sea cave is eroded through by wave action, leaving behind a natural arch structure that extends out into the water. Over time, the sea arch may eventually collapse, forming a sea stack.

Formations that grow downward from the top of a cave are called stalactites. Stalactites may be composed of amberat, lava, minerals, mud, peat, pitch, and sand. Formations that grow from the floor upwards are called stalagmites.

(You can remember the difference by thinking of the phrase "ants in your pants". The mites go up and the tights come down.)

Stalactites are formations that hang from the ceilings of caves, formed by mineral deposits left behind by water dripping.

A limestone deposit hanging from the ceiling of a cave is known as a stalactite. Stalactites form when mineral-rich water drips from the ceiling and leaves behind mineral deposits that gradually build up over time, creating a cone-shaped structure that hangs down. Stalactites are common in caves with limestone formations.

A shakehole (or sinkhole) - it can form an entrance to the cave, or block it entirely. Also swallow hole.

It's important to realise that the existence of a shakehole does not necessarily mean an enterable cave lies below: the dissolved carbonate rock below may have been carried away in a multitude of fine conduits as in chalk, rather than a discreet passage.

It is called weathering.

The reaction of carbon dioxide in rainwater creates a weak carbonic acid, which dissolves limestone over time. This process, known as carbonation, leads to the formation of caves in limestone formations. Over thousands of years, the acidic water dissolves the limestone, creating underground tunnels and chambers.

Limestone caves feature underground passageways, stalactites (hanging formations), stalagmites (rising formations), columns, and other dripstone formations formed by the erosion of limestone by acidic groundwater. They often contain unique ecosystems and support a variety of cave-dwelling organisms. The caves are typically formed through the process of dissolution and can exhibit beautiful calcite crystal formations.