EASY READ The Earth
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How do caves form?
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.
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 and stalagmites
Water seeping through the rocks dissolves the minerals that make up the limestone. As water drips from the ceiling of a cave, tiny crystals of limestone form from it. These very gradually grow into icicle-like stalactites. Over time, they become longer and longer. Stalagmites grow up from the floor where the drips fall. Sometimes they join the stalactites to form columns of rock.
Consultant: Ian Fairchild
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Here are some pages in other parts of Q-files you might like to explore:
Caves
Limestone landscapes
pics
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