Speleology

Mount Pelee in Martinique is estimated to be over 100,000 years old. It is a stratovolcano that has been active for thousands of years, with its most famous eruption occurring in 1902.

It is recommended to wear moisture-wicking clothing that can keep you dry and warm, along with sturdy pants and a long-sleeved top to protect your skin. A helmet with a headlamp, sturdy boots with good grip, and gloves are essential for safety. Layering clothing is key to regulating body temperature in the cave environment.

Limestone is formed in caves through a process called cave formation or speleogenesis. This occurs when water containing dissolved minerals, like calcium carbonate, seeps through cracks in the rock and evaporates, leaving behind deposits of limestone. Over time, these deposits can accumulate to form intricate cave structures.

If you were a speleologist, you would study caves and their physical, chemical, and biological features. This includes exploring cave formations, mapping cave systems, studying the underground environment, and investigating any unique life forms that may exist underground.

The earliest cave painting site yet discovered is in the Maros region of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Paintings found in these caves date back at least 45,500 years, making them some of the oldest known examples of figurative art.

Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico got its name from the nearby town of Carlsbad. The caverns were formally named in 1923 by the US government, taking inspiration from the famous Luray Caverns in Virginia.

In limestone caves (the vast majority) the development of a passage continues as long as there is a stream flowing through it to dissolve the rock away. Once the stream ceases, the passage becomes "fossil" or "abandoned", no longer grows and in time will tend to break up as percolation water enlarges the rock's joints above the roof.

The stream ceases when either the catchment has been lowered sufficiently by erosion to remove it and its sink into the cave; or the cave has developed a lower level now taking the water. The latter is often but not automatically associated with surface-topography changes lowering the altitude of the rising (spring) from which the cave's water resurges.

Acidic ground water (rain-water that has absorbed atmospheric carbon dioxide to form carbonic acid) dissolving the limestone as it flows through the joints & other discontinuities in the rock mass.

No, a stalagmite forms on the cave floor when mineral-rich water drips and deposits sediment, creating a mound-like structure. On the other hand, a stalactite hangs from the cave's ceiling as mineral deposits accumulate and form a tapering, icicle-like shape.

A place where many caves are connected by passages is called a cave system. These systems form when multiple caves are interconnected underground due to geological processes such as erosion or the dissolution of rock by water. They can create complex and intricate networks of tunnels and chambers beneath the surface.

Caves serve as natural shelters for animals and humans, provide habitats for unique species, and offer opportunities for scientific research and recreation such as spelunking and cave diving. They also play a role in important geological processes such as groundwater storage and erosion.

Caves most commonly form in areas with limestone or other soluble rocks that are easily eroded by water. The process of cave formation typically involves the dissolution of rock by acidic groundwater, creating underground voids. Over time, these voids can develop into large cave systems through ongoing erosion and geological processes.

You can't determine that because "Cave Men" (& women) wereonly so because they happened to live in areas that hold caves suitable for them to use.

Human use of caves as dwellings certainly goes back into the Palaeolithic, and both earlyhumans and our parallel species, Neanderthals, used caves if available.

Caves are natural underground formations typically formed from the erosion of rock by water, creating unique environments with distinct ecosystems. Many caves contain stalactites and stalagmites, formed from mineral deposits over thousands of years. They serve as important habitats for a variety of animals, some of which are specially adapted to living in the dark, nutrient-poor conditions of caves.

A stalactite is a structure that hangs from the ceiling of a cave and is formed by the precipitation of minerals from dripping water.

Feng-Hsien Cave, also known as Wind Cave, is located in Longyou County, Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China. It is a popular tourist attraction known for its unique limestone formations and underground rivers.

The vast majority are in limestone uplands of suitable geological, hydrological and long-term climatic conditions. Very simply, as the whole is very complicated and very specific to each cave's own area:

Rain absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere. This creates weak carbonic acid.

The water sinks into the natural tension-cracks ('joints'), faults and other discontinuities in the mass of limestone, and because it is acid, corrodes the rock slowly away.

In time, the resulting mesh of tiny conduits enlarges, the conduits coalesce and eventually discrete stream-passages form.

This all takes many tens or hundreds of thousands of years. Eventually the stream ceases to take that route and the passage is left high and dry.

The water can only flow if it has somewhere to go: outlets - springs or risings - at the base of the limestone where this outcrops, oftenat the foot of the hill as the resulting stream then forms a surface valley.

Yes, Eldorado is said to have underground caverns, which have been a popular element in various legends and myths surrounding the lost city. Some stories suggest these caverns hold untold treasures or secrets, adding to the allure of the Eldorado legend.

The stalagmites were caused by lime waste being deposited on the surface above the cave. This caused water to drip through far quicker than normal which is why the stalagmites formed so (relatively) fast. The orange colour is believed to have been caused by iron oxide.

to be more logical if the lion had actually thought about the talking cave he would have realized that there is no such thing as a talking cave. Then maybe he would have gotten something to eat.

It is believed the more advanced and taller ( they averaged six feet plus) Cro-Magnon Men pioneered artwork and indeed even had art schools in some more habitable caves, now we do talk of artist"s dens, right, and watch out for those Cave Lions and Bears, yiiikees- artist can be a hazardous job- My spear, apprentice artist..

sag

Caves are typically formed through a process known as erosion, where water and chemicals gradually break down the rock, creating hollow spaces underground. Over time, the combination of erosion and tectonic activity can lead to the creation of cave systems. These formations can vary greatly in size and complexity, and often contain unique geological features such as stalactites and stalagmites.

Study scientifically caves and their natural contents. It's an umbrella term for a range of scientific disciplines.

I don't know that there professional speleologists per se, but many of the studies are carried out by people who are geologists, biologists etc as an extension of both their work as scientists and their hobby of caving!

Some studies though are important beyond simple scientific curiosity. For example the learned journal 'Cave & Karst Science' sometimes publishes papers from professional karst hydrologists in countries like Iran, where understanding the hydrology and geology of public water sources and their near-arid karst catchments is obviously a vital matter.