What calls for a secret world below the surface of the earth? Does this term tickle the tiny curious mind? Imagine a secret place holding lots of fortune. We are not talking about a world that exists in a story book but a real underground creation called “Caves”.
Caves run through a rock where they open out into huge spaces which have thin stone pillars. Caves lie below the surface of the earth in areas made of limestone rock. Over a period of thousands of years, the acidic nature of rainwater slowly dissolved the limestone. This caused tiny cracks to develop which gradually expanded to deep holes; these gave way to form underground caves and rivers as water continued to corrode the rock. Caves develop inside glaciers and within solidified lava around volcanoes. They also appear on top of sea rocks eroded by waves.
Holes in the earth
Once inside a cave, many interesting features can be observed. First of all, because of the lack of sunlight caves are wet, dark places. Some caves are so tiny that they have room for just one person. Also droplets of water that hang from the roof of the cave, dry over a period of time to form “stalactites”. Water dripping from the cave roof or stalactites fall onto the cave floor and dry to form upward pillars called “stalagmites”. Stalactite and stalagmite may develop and meet to form a pillar from roof to floor.
Now, wouldn’t you love to explore caves? The sport of exploring caves is known as ‘potholing’. It requires proper clothing, lights, ropes, ladders and steel cables. Potholing will need a person to stay within the cave for many days. This may seem exciting but can be very risky as rain can cause flooding and people to be trapped by unexpected rock falls. Not all caves can be explored. Some underwater caves are abandoned even by the marine life because they are not conducive to survival. The flooded Yucatan Cenotes cave network in Mexico is the best example. The crystal and snow caves are also dangerous for trekking due to unique changes.
Can we see life inside caves? Well, caves were used as homes centuries ago. Caves at Lascaux, France, hold wall paintings as well as the earliest tools that maybe dated to 20,000 yearsago. Even today, there are few who still live in caves in parts of Asia and Africa. Caves exist all over the world, each one is different in size and appearance.
More caves
Mammoth Cave National Park, U.S. (643 km in length)
Next most extensive cave: Jewel Cave, U.S. (267 km)
Longest surveyed underwater cave: Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Mexico (242 km)
Deepest known cave: Krubera Cave, Georgia (depth of 2197 m or 7208 ft)
Deepest vertical shaft cave: Vrtoglavica Cave, Slovenia (603 m or 1978 ft)
Game: Decode
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