Caves - Forming the holes
Forming the holes
Caves take hundreds of thousands of years to form. There are caves in the process of forming right now, and already-formed caves that are undergoing continuous change. The majority of caves are made out of the rock limestone. Limestone is a rock formed millions of years ago out of the hardened remains of layers of sea animals.
The formation of a limestone cave begins with water. When rain falls it collects a small amount of the gas carbon dioxide from the air. As the water trickles into the soil, it passes through tiny pockets of air in the soil. The soil is where it picks up most of the carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide that mixes with water causes the water to change into an acid, called carbonic acidA weak acid that forms from the mixture of water and carbon dioxide.. Carbonic acid water slowly eats away at the soft limestone. It seeps into small...
[The entire page is 726 words long]
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