More information on Caves

Talking Caverns in Missouri (our field trip)

http://talkingrockscavern.com/

Cave WEB SITES

http://www.mammoth.cave.national-park.com/

http://data2.itc.nps.gov/parksearch/atoz.cfm

http://www.hawaii.volcanoes.national-park.com/

http://www.carlsbad.caverns.national-park.com/


Cave Vocabulary (discovery.com)

guano
Definition: A substance composed chiefly of the dung of sea birds or bats, accumulated along certain coastal areas or in caves
Context: In the early part of the 20th century bat guano was mined from Carlsbad Cavern caves and sold for use as fertilizer.
karst
Definition: An irregular limestone region with sinkholes, caves, underground streams, and springs
Context: Karst regions usually lack surface water because it’s all underground.
petroglyph
Definition: Pictures, symbols, or other artwork pecked, carved or incised on natural rock surfaces
Context: The cave has preserved these 3,000-year-old petroglyphs but not their meaning.
subterranean
Definition: Existing or happening under the Earth’s surface
Context: In these caves you’ll find a subterranean world as uncharted as the surface of Mars.
stalactite
Definition: A tapering structure hanging from the roof of a cave, most often formed of calcite deposited by dripping water. Context: Some of the largest stalactites have taken millions of years to form.
stalagmite
Definition: A tapering column rising from the floor of a cave, most often formed of calcite deposited by dripping water. Context: Stalagmites often grow from the drips of calcite falling from the stalactite above.
troglobite
Definition: An animal that has adapted to living life permanently inside caves
Context: Since 1971 over 50 of these cave-adapted critters, or troglobites, have been identified in Hawaii.
vug
Definition: A small cavity in rock.
Context: A vug maybe lined with a mineral that is different from the rock around it.