Caverns

Wetland

Area where the water table is close to the ground surface

What states have a lot of karst terrain?

- Florida - Kentucky - Great valley of PA

What are the two controlling factors on flow?

- Porosity - Permeability

What are some examples of aquifers?

- Sand and gravel deposits - Jointed or fractured rocks - Cavernous limestones

What has to happen in order to make caves?

A lot of groundwater needs to flow through the rocks

What is an aquifer?

A rock with both high porosity and high permeability "water carrier"

What kind of groundwater flow is required to form caves?

Acidic Water- groundwater tends to be acidic; acidic water dissolves limestone quickly

Dissolving process 4

Acidic water dissolves limestone around it

What is created in extreme versions of karst terrain?

All the caves collapse and create towers of limestone

What is a disappearing stream?

Allow rainfall to travel quickly into caves and groundwater, often disappear through sinkholes

Stream

Anywhere the water table lies above the ground surface

What is cave breakdown?

Blocks of rock that fall from the roof or the sides after the cave forms

Stalactites

Grows down from the ceiling. Water evaporates before leaving the ceiling; calcite left behind

Stalagmites

Grows up from the ground. Water drips to the floor, evaporates, calcite left behind

Spring

Intersection of water table and hillside

What is karst terrain?

Lots of sinkholes and springs; not many rivers

Dry caves

Most caves are dry; tend to be plain and undecorated

Completely water-filled caves

Other caves stay very wet; still forming

Part wet and part dry caves

Part wet, part dry caves are typically the ones that contain flowstone (cave formations)

Dissolving process 3

Reaches water table; begins to pool (sit) there

What is the Water Table?

Surface that separates damp rocks from saturated (wet) rocks

Permeability

The ease of flow through the rock pores (pathways)

Caves don't last forever. What happens to them all eventually?

They all collapse and form sinkholes

What is karst?

Topography created in areas with lots of caves

What are caves?

Underground holes formed when limestone (not the only rock but the majority) is dissolved by groundwater

Draperies

Very thin layers of flow-stone that hang in mid-air

What is groundwater?

Water that flows underground through the pores of rocks and soils

Dissolving process 1

Water works through soil; reacts with CO2 (carbon dioxide)= acidic

Under what conditions does limestone dissolve best?

Wet, water breaks it down easily

Columns

When stalagmites and stalactites meet.

Flowstone

When water dissolves limestone, then trickles into cave where it can dry up and leave behind layer of calcite

Dissolving process 2

Works down through joints and fractures of limestone

Porosity

amount of space available for water to flow in

What creates cave formations?

this occurs when water dissolves limestone and then leaves behind a layer of calcite.