Speleology

There are models that show the development of caves under specific conditions in limestone rocks. Of course there are figures that show the formation and the development of a variety of passageways in caves. You can find all these staff in literature related with karst geomorphology.

Caves formed by wind and wave action are typically found in coastal areas with softer rocks like limestone or sandstone. Waves and wind erode the rock over time, creating openings and cavities in the rock face. As the process continues, these openings may develop into caves through further erosion and weathering.

Most dilution of seawater occurs at the surface due to processes such as precipitation, river inflow, and melting ice. This leads to a lower salinity at the surface compared to deeper ocean layers. Ocean currents can also mix and dilute seawater over large distances.

How Caves Form in Limestone

That is such a common question on ‘Answers’ I wrote this single reply! The technical terms are introduced by capital initials.

Most of the world’s caves are in Limestone.

Caves need three materials: a soluble rock like Limestone or Gypsum, water and Carbon-dioxide (CO2).

Their host limestone also needs to be of appropriate physical structure and raised into hills, then subjected to reasonably consistent precipitation for many tens or hundreds of thousands of years.

Limestone is a sedimentary rock of which the world’s greater proportion was laid down in warm, relatively shallow, seas. The rock was laid in horizontal layers – Beds – separated by Bedding-planes which generally reflect geologically-brief changes in the environment. The suite of beds is known as a Formation, generally named after its “type area”.

Later continental uplift (tectonic processes) raise the formation along with its underlying rocks, usually tilting and folding it to at least some extent in the process. Since most rocks are brittle they cannot take much stress, and limestone beds crack into grids of fine fractures called Joints. The uplift and folding often also causes Faulting – major breaks with the rock mass one side of the Fault Plane being raised, lowered or moved horizontally past that on the opposite side. (Note: Plane – the “Fault Line” sometimes misused as a political metaphor is that of the fault-plane cutting the land surface.)

Now we have the hills, next we need rain-water that has absorbed atmospheric CO2 to create Carbonic Acid (weak, natural soda water in fact!). It may be augmented by acids from the soil, too. This solvent permeates through all those joints, bedding-planes and faults; flowing very, very slowly under considerable pressure applied by its depth, from its sinks on the surface to its springs at the base of the formation. In doing so, it dissolves the limestone (chemical weathering), creating meshes of tiny micro-conduits that over many tens of thousands of years coalesce and capture each other to form cave passages.

Once this happens, the rate of erosion can increase – though still to perhaps only a few millimetres per thousand years under generally temperate climates.

A cave, or a series within a cave system, that still carries its formative stream is called “Active”, and is still being developed.

Surface changes such as the valley floor being lowered by erosion, or down-cutting within the cave by its stream, changes the water’s route and the original, now dried-out, stream-way is called “Fossil” or “Abandoned”. Such passages may be filled with silt left by floods as the main flow gradually abandons them; or may become richly decorated with Speleothems – calcite deposits such as stalactites and stalagmites precipitated from ground-water still oozing through the joints in the limestone above the cave. In time such passages may start to break down as there is no stream to dissolve away slabs falling from the roof as permeating ground-water attacks the rock above.

In the end, surface lowering of the landscape as a whole, breaches and destroys the cave. Nothing is permanent in Nature!

Caves in limestone are also parts of Karst Landscape. i.e. a landscape developed by the dissolution of limestone, giving surface features like Dolines, Limestone Pavement, and in the tropics, distinctive hills such as those represented in Chinese Willow-pattern images. ‘Karst’ is from the Slavic word ‘Kras’, the name for its world type-area.

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The above is purely an introduction to a vastly more complex and subtle series of processes, of course, and you need to refer to appropriate text-books on geology and cave studies to learn them.

The scientific study of caves is Speleology – embracing geology, hydrology, biology, archaeology and other disciplines.

Simply visiting caves to enjoy them for their scenery and the physical and mental challenges they present, is called Caving, though you can’t study a cave unless you can negotiate its obstacles. We caving enthusiasts are simply Cavers, throughout the English-speaking world – not “spelunkers”, which appears to be merely rude, USA-only, slang for novices and dilettantes!

It doesnt run out of water because this whole earth is surrounded by water and when the water drains, it rains to full up again so therefore we should never run out of water

A limestone deposit rising from the floor in a cave is most likely a formation called a stalagmite. Stalagmites are formed when mineral-rich water drips from the ceiling of a cave, depositing calcite and building up over time. Over thousands of years, stalagmites can grow tall and take on various shapes.

A deposit of calcite on a cave floor is known as cave popcorn or cave coral. It forms when water containing dissolved calcium carbonate drips or seeps into a cave and then evaporates, leaving behind calcite deposits in the form of popcorn-like or coral-like formations.

The Cave of the Winds is located in Niagara Falls State Park in New York, USA. It offers close-up views of Bridal Veil Falls and is known for its wooden walkways that take visitors near the base of the falls.

One formed by slightly acidic ground-water dissolving the limestone, gypsum or chalk as it flows through the joints etc in the rock mass.

Most of the world's caves by far are in limestone. Extensive solutional maze caves are known in gypsum. Chalk rarely supports caves due to its physical structure, but a few are known.

These rocks are the only ones that will dissolve in water - the acid comes from rain absorbing atmospheric CO2 as it falls, augmented by soil acids.

Caves were first discovered by the earliest hominids, searching for shelter from the elements and safety from predators. Currently, caves are discovered by spelunkers exploring areas with the right geology.

To make crystals with saltwater, simply dissolve salt in warm water until it is fully saturated. Then, let the solution sit undisturbed in a container for several days to allow the water to evaporate, leaving behind salt crystals. You can also try adding a string or stick as a seed crystal to help initiate crystal formation.

Caves most commonly form in limestone bedrock due to a process called karstification, where the rock is dissolved by acidic water. Other common rock types where caves can form include gypsum, salt, and lava.

Platinum is soft when it is in its pure state. It is also dense, very resistant to corrosion and a precious metal. It is made into jewelry, laboratory vessels and wire.

The study of volcanoes is volcanology.

The study of volcanoes is called volcanology. Volcanologists are the people who study volcanoes. A volcano is very unpredictable but volcanologists can use different tools to study them and help to predict eruptions.

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It's Vulcanolog [y / ist] - with a "u".

The two most common types of rock in which sea caves form are limestone and sandstone. This is because these types of rock are more susceptible to erosion by the action of waves and coastal processes, creating caves and other coastal formations over time.

No, condensation is the process of a gas turning into a liquid, typically as a result of cooling. Distillation is a process that involves separating components of a liquid mixture based on differences in boiling points. While they both involve phase changes, they are not the same process.

A substance that causes pollution is called a pollutant. Pollutants can be in the form of chemicals, gases, or particles that are harmful to the environment and human health.

The caves of Ajanta are located in India in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra. The caves have monuments of Buddha which were carved beginning in the 2nd century BCE.

Carbonic acid can dissolve limestone, a common rock type in many regions, which then forms caves through a process of chemical weathering. When rainwater, containing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, seeps through the ground and comes into contact with limestone rocks, it forms carbonic acid. This carbonic acid slowly dissolves the limestone over time, creating cave systems underground.

Heat transfer by waves refers to the transfer of heat through electromagnetic waves such as infrared radiation. These waves carry energy from a warmer object to a cooler one without requiring a medium for propagation. This mode of heat transfer is commonly observed in processes such as radiation from the sun warming the Earth.

A fairy is typically portrayed as a mythical creature with magical abilities, often associated with nature and granted with powers like flight and spell-casting. On the other hand, a wizard is a human, usually depicted as a male, who practices magic through spells and rituals, often portrayed as wise and knowledgeable in magical arts.