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CITE
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How do caves form?. (2018). In Q-files Encyclopedia, Earth, LET'S EXPLORE The Earth. Retrieved from
https://www.q-files.com/earth/let's-explore-the-earth/how-do-caves-form/
"How do caves form?." Earth, LET'S EXPLORE The Earth, Q-files Encyclopedia, 4 Jun. 2018.
https://www.q-files.com/earth/let's-explore-the-earth/how-do-caves-form/.
Accessed 11 Dec. 2019.
How do caves form? 2018. Earth, LET'S EXPLORE The Earth. Retrieved 11 December 2019, from
https://www.q-files.com/earth/let's-explore-the-earth/how-do-caves-form/
Earth, LET'S EXPLORE The Earth, s.v. "How do caves form?," accessed December 11, 2019.
https://www.q-files.com/earth/let's-explore-the-earth/how-do-caves-form/

How do caves form?
A cave with a lake inside it
Caves are formed when water, flowing below ground, hollows out the rocks. You may also come across caves at the seashore, where waves crash against the cliffs. Limestone caves are often made up of a series of chambers, linked by tunnels and shafts. Some have streams running through them, or lakes.
Diagram of a limestone cave system
Limestone caves
Limestone may look like solid rock, but it contains millions of tiny cracks. Rainwater seeps into these cracks. Over many years, the water dissolves the rock, widening the cracks and eventually forming caves.
Stalactites, stalagmites and a column
Stalactites and stalagmites


A good way to remember the difference between stalactites and stalagmites is that stalaCtites form on the Ceiling, while stalaGmites grow up from the Ground.

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