Speleology

I wonder if you're thinking about coming to Sydney for the World Masters Games in October 09.

Anyway, there's some good info about the weather in Sydney in October at http://www.sydneyworldmasters.com. Links to several weather sites are there.

Carbonic acid, a weak acid found in rainwater, dissolves limestone over time to form caves through a process known as chemical weathering. As carbonic acid percolates through the limestone, it reacts with the calcium carbonate in the rock, gradually dissolving it and creating underground cavities that can develop into caves.

spelunkers

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Cavers

I have never seen "spelunker" in any caving literature.

Revising my previous answer, having learnt more about it since, "spelunkers" was name coined by a group of New England caving club for themselves in the 1940s; and rather grandly combines Latin and Greek words for "cave". It was used happily and neutrally in the US (but rarely anywhere else) until the 1960s, when American cavers themselves started to turn it into a derogatory term for poorly-equipped and none-too-competent novices and dilettantes.

[Source: Wikipedia]

The proper term throughout the English-speaking world is "caver".

The Maquoketa Caves in Iowa were formed millions of years ago by the dissolution of the local bedrock, primarily dolomite, by groundwater. Over time, this erosion process created the unique cave systems and features that are now part of the Maquoketa Caves State Park.

LEA? LEA 1. a tract of open ground, esp. grassland; meadow. 2. land used for a few years for pasture or for growing hay, then plowed over and replaced by another crop. 3. a crop of hay on tillable land.

Yes, it does. Kinetic energy is moving energy. An example is heat(thermal) energy, because the particles are vibrating and are very spread out.

Sudwala caves are situated in Mpumalanga province, South Africa.

They are some 300km east of Johannesburg, about 35km before you get to Nelspruit travelling East from Johannesburg on the N4 highway

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. The enthusiasts are simply Cavers throughout the English-speaking world – you see “spelunkers” sometimes on ‘Answers’ but it's an old slang word not found in caving literature.

They are not usually used by Man except recreationally. Naturally, sea caves become be refuges for various invertebrates that feed on the dead seaweed that accumulates in them.

In some places sea-caves became popularly associated with 18-19C smugglers using them as hiding-places for their booty, but there is little real evidence for this. If the smugglers knew about a cave, so would the local "Preventy Men" (Customs) & any informants!

chemical weathering called karsting and it createskarst topography. ... Dissolution of soluble limestone creates limestone caves

source yahoo answers

Underwater caves are natural formations in the ocean or a body of water that have been eroded or carved out by the movements of water over time. These caves can vary in size and shape and often contain unique ecosystems and marine life. Some underwater caves are popular destinations for divers due to their beauty and diversity of marine species.

Platinum is more rare and expensive than gold. As to better, it may depend on what you want to use it for. Platinum is used for jewelry, and an investment broker once told me that platinum jewelry is very popular in Japan, while gold jewelry is preferred elsewhere in the world. There may be some industrial uses for platinum which make it better than gold, perhaps in the field of electronics.

Carbonic acid is produced when carbon dioxide gas dissolves in water to form carbonic acid, following the reaction CO2 + H2O ⇌ H2CO3. This process occurs naturally in the Earth's atmosphere, especially in oceans where the acid contributes to the regulation of the Earth's climate.

The total number has not been compiled, but new ones are being found as time goes on. The Marianas Trench has yet to be fully explored.

In answering a similar question, my quick assessment by index of two of my cavers' guide-books showed a total of over 500 in just two of the UK's several limestone regions - and one of those books listed only the more significant 60 out of many more in its own area.

Yes, caves are still being discovered as you say, but not in the seas with a few exceptions of those drowned by sea-level rise since glacial times. They won't be in ocean depths though.

"Topo" can refer to "topography," which is the study of the shape and features of land surfaces. It can also refer to "topographic maps," which provide detailed information about the terrain and elevation of an area.

I assume you mean caves well decorated with stalagmites etc. They are in most limestone caving areas but if you want to visit them either take up caving properly - for both your safety and to learn to protect the caves you visit - or visit show-caves.

A cave column is a mineral formation found in caves where a stalactite from the ceiling and a stalagmite from the floor meet and grow together, eventually forming a column. These columns can vary in size and shape depending on the specific conditions in the cave where they form.

Feeling hot and cold sensations in your legs simultaneously could be due to poor circulation, nerve compression or irritation, or even a condition like peripheral neuropathy. It's important to consult a healthcare provider to determine the underlying cause and receive appropriate treatment.

it dosent affect you

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Obviously the above respondent isnot a caver!

Caves' aesthetic attractions, mental and physical challenges and scientific interest have strong emotional and philosophical effects on cavers, depending very much on the indidual's interests, tastes and abilities in the pursuit.

Add physical benefit of the exercise, the team-spirit, ethical code, caving-club social life and travel opportunities caving can bring.

Otehrwise we would not go caving!

The Perito Moreno Glacier is classified as a tide-water glacier, which is a type of glacier that flows down a valley and reaches the ocean, where it forms a floating ice tongue. The glacier periodically calves icebergs into the water, creating a spectacular display of ice breaking off.

Caves can be safe to explore with proper precautions such as adequate lighting, sturdy footwear, and sticking to marked paths. It is important to be aware of potential hazards including unstable rock formations, slippery surfaces, and limited visibility. It is advisable to research and follow safety guidelines for the specific cave you plan to visit.

There is not a particular kind of limestone needed to make a canyon or valley. They and caves form through erosion of most limestones, but their development is subject to a good deal of local geological and hydrological control.

By dissolving the walls of the existing tension-joints in the limestone.

The characteristic grid formation of sculpted limestone blocks separated by deep, narrow gullies is called Limestone Pavement; the blocks are the Clints, the gaps that mark out the joints are the Grykes. (My own mnemonic is "Grykes grin"!)