A cave is a natural opening on the earth’s ground. There is a process how a cave is formed and each have their own unique characteristic. This article will briefly discuss caves formation and characteristics.
How caves are formed
Commonly, these cavities are created when acidic water dissolves a rock. One of the most common caves are “karst caves”, the type formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. Named after the Karst region of the western Balkan Peninsula extending from Slovenia to Montenegro, karst terrain in general is characterized by a rough and jumbled landscape of bare bedrock ledges, deranged surface drainage, and sinkholes, as well as caves (White, 2016). Even in volcanic areas, caves flourish. These are called “lava tubes.”
Characteristics of a cave
The length of the cave passageways is unique to each other. Some extend to kilometers like in Odessa-Tumbali in Cagayan and the Capisaan Cave system in Nueva Vizcaya but most are much shorter like in Ambongdolan Caves that reaches only to about 700 meters. The length could go deep to the earth like in Sagada caves or just under a mountain like the Sibud-Sibud Cave in Abra.
Also, caves could be dry, dump and muddy, or partly or fully submerged in water. The dry caves are easier to explore and are more conducive for tourism. Most common dead caves are dry inside like in Callao Cave in Cagayan. Many caves are also damp and muddy, which makes exploration challenging. This is seen in Sierra Cave at the foot of Sierra Madre Range. The Aran Cave in Tuba and San Carlos Cave in Cagayan, on the other hand, have subterranean river which partially covers their passageways. Other caves near the sea are fully submerged in water.
Caves may also present with different sizes of passages. It could be tight that needs explorers to crawl like in some parts of Paterno Cave and Aran Cave or walking size passages. Some may contain wide passages, tall narrow canyons, or large domed caverns.
The temperature of most caves is the long-term average of the surface temperatures above the cave (Jones, 2003). Keeping this in mind, caves are hotter in warm places such as those near the equator and in the lowlands. However, the presence of an aquifer or a subterranean river also affects the temperature inside.
References
Jones, C. (2003). A Guide to Responsible Caving. National Speleological Society. Retrieved on 25 July 2019 from http://www.anthros.org/old/descargas/guide%20responsible%20caving.pdf
White, W. (2016). Cave. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved on 25 July 2019 from https://www.britannica.com/science/cave.
