World_of_Animals_Issue_46_2017
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The wildlife <strong>of</strong> a cave<br />
How do caves form?<br />
Discover the processes that create solution<br />
caves over thousands <strong>of</strong> years<br />
2<br />
1<br />
Going underground<br />
Groundwater seeps through cracks or fractures<br />
in the earth to reach the limestone rock beneath.<br />
5<br />
3<br />
Creating cavities<br />
The slightly acidic water slowly dissolves the limestone<br />
rock to create a system <strong>of</strong> small caves.<br />
4<br />
Joining together<br />
As more water enters, the caves get bigger and eventually<br />
join together, becoming one large cavern.<br />
1. Hard rock<br />
The upper layers <strong>of</strong> rock are harder<br />
and so dissolve more slowly than the<br />
s<strong>of</strong>t limestone.<br />
2. Acidic water<br />
Groundwater mixes with carbon dioxide<br />
in the air and soil to create weak<br />
carbonic acid.<br />
3. Underwater caves<br />
Caves situated below the water table<br />
are always flooded with water.<br />
4. Collapsing cracks<br />
Cracks in the upper layers <strong>of</strong> rock<br />
gradually become bigger, collapsing<br />
into sink holes.<br />
5. Rock chemistry<br />
Minerals inside the rock can also make<br />
the groundwater more acidic as it<br />
passes through.<br />
“A troglobite will<br />
spend its entire life<br />
inside a cold, damp,<br />
pitch-black cave”<br />
83
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