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Page 1: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09

Page 2: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

What is a cave?• A cave is: A hole or

tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface

• Caves are located underground or underwater, mostly in darkness.

• They are often called caverns.

Page 3: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

• Rivers and streams sometimes go underground through part of the cave or cavern.

• They are called “sinking streams.”

Page 4: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

How are Caves Formed?• Caves are usually formed in rocks

called limestone, marble, or lava. • They are usually created by water

dissolving limestone (over periods of thousands of years).

Click on the link below to see how a cave is formed.

http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es1405/es1405page01.cfm?chapter_no=visualization

Page 5: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

• There are beautiful cave formations found beneath the Earth’s surface.

• They are called stalactites, stalagmites and flowstone.

Cave Formations

Page 6: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

Stalactites

• A stalactite grows from the cave ceiling so it has to hold on “tite.”

Page 7: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

Stalagmites

• A stalagmite grows from the floor (ground) of the cave with all its “mite.”

Page 8: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

Flowstone

• Flowstone are sheet-like formations that form on cave walls or ceilings.

• Some look like waterfalls.

Page 9: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

How big are cave entrances?

• Some caves have tiny entrances, others have large entrances.

• Cave entrances may be hidden by large stones, tree trunks, or plants.

Page 10: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

Kinds of Caves

• Not all caves are the same.

• There are 3 main kinds of caves:

Lava caves Sea caves Ice caves

Page 11: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

Lava Caves

• Lava caves are tubes that form when molten rock flows away from volcanoes.

• Cool air causes the rock to harden on the outside, and when all the lava has drained out, the tube becomes a cave.

Page 12: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

Sea Caves

• Sea caves are formed by waves crashing on rocky coastlines.

Page 13: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

Ice Caves

• Ice caves are formed by water flowing underneath glaciers of ice. Light passing through the ice makes the caves blue.

Page 14: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

Who Lives in a Cave?• Troglobites are animals that live in caves. They

have little or no color and no eyes.• Some creatures live in the cave all the time

and others travel in and out of the cave.

Page 15: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

Public Caves• Some caves are open to the public. They are

called "show caves.”• Howe Caverns is a public cave.

Page 16: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

Visiting Howe Caverns

• At Howe Caverns, you step into an elevator that takes you 156 feet below the Earth's surface.

• When the elevator stops, the doors open into a prehistoric underground cavern six million years in the making.

Page 17: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

Inside the cavern …• The air down here in the

cavern is different. • All year round, the cave

maintains: ~ a constant 52

degrees Fahrenheit ~ 70-75% humidity, year

round.

Page 18: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

• Some caves are on private or other land where the general public cannot go. These are called "wild caves.”

Entrance to Onesquethaw Cave Entrance to Clarksville Cave

Wild caves

Page 19: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

Knox CaveBerne, New York

• Knox Cave is one of the largest caverns in New York State with many high passages and other natural beauties.

• It was used in Dutch Colonial times as a refuge by Indian war parties.

Page 20: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

Exploring Knox Cave

Page 21: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

What is a spelunker?

• A spelunker is someone who likes to explore caves.

• What do you need to go spelunking?

A headlamp (and extra batteries)A helmetWarm clothing that is waterproofBootsGlovesFood & water

Page 22: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

• Cave explorers always go in groups, never alone. If an accident does happen, cavers can help each other or send for rescuers. Joining a caving club is a good way to learn safe caving skills.

DANGER!

Page 23: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

Caring For Caves

Cave features take thousands of years to grow.

If you touch a stalagmite, stalactite or the wall of the cave, it will stop growing because the oils in your skin will kill it.

A broken stalactite or gypsum flower can't be put back together!

Page 24: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

Fascinating Facts …• Carlsbad Cavern, in New Mexico, is longer

than 14 football fields.• A series of caverns in Flint Mammoth Cave,

Flint, Kentucky, is roughly 190 miles long.• The deepest cave in the world, Reseau Jean

Bernard, in France, is 5,035 feet deep—nearly a mile underground.

Carlsbad Cavern

Page 25: Compiled by N. Boucher 10/09. What is a cave? A cave is: A hole or tunnel into the earth with an opening to the surface Caves are located underground.

Interested in learning more?

• Click on the links below to go to some interesting websites about caves.

• www.caverntours.com/KIDSPAGE_Formations.html (learn about the different kinds of formations inside a

cave)

• http://www.goodearthgraphics.com/virtcave.htm(explore a virtual cave)


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