Waitomo
Caves is famous for its caves. Many people who visit Waitomo come to
see the glow worms. Those of us who live here know that there is a
unique world below ground level.Waitomo
Caves is famous for its caves. Many people who visit Waitomo come to
see the glow worms. Those of us who live here know that there is a
unique world below ground level.
Caves are natural openings that go deep into the earth. They are found in many types of rock, but are most common in limestone and gypsum. These caves were formed by water under the surface of the earth. The study of caves is known as speleology, and cave explorers are called speleologists.
Caves are natural openings that go deep into the earth. They are found in many types of rock, but are most common in limestone and gypsum. These caves were formed by water under the surface of the earth. The study of caves is known as speleology, and cave explorers are called speleologists.
The word cave is means a chamber beneath the surface of the earth or in the side of a hill, cliff, or mountain. Caves can be different sizes and shapes. They have many openings to the surface. Large caves are called caverns. Small narrow openings are crevices..
In the underground world of caves
you can find rock formations. These form very slowly over many years. As water
drips through the ceiling of a cave, it gets calcium carbonate in it and rings
of calcite crystals form and make a tiny tube or straw stalactite. If the straw
is blocked, the water is forced to flow down the outside of the tube, and calcite
makes the tube thicker into a carrot shaped stalactite. When the water drips
on the floor it builds stalagmites. If they join up to the stalactites the make
columns.
This photograph, taken in the Aranui Cave, shows stalactites, stalagmites and in the centre back you can see a column.
Most visitors come to see the glow worms at the famous glow worm caves but there are hundreds of other caves to visit. Some people go for black water rafting or wild cave adventures. You can even abseil and take an inner tube ride through the caves. What a great adventure.
Caving has always been a popular pastime in West Virginia. In the Grandview National Park near Beckley, West Virginia, there are some small caves that you can explore. The caves are short and not completely closed off. They are in the park mainly to introduce people to spelunking to see if they might like to explore more caves.
For more on our cave, click
here. or if you're interested in Glow
Worms click here
or some other creatures
click here.
Research by Stacey-Lee L. N.Z.
Poster by Dalton B. Can
Page creation by Kevin.M. Can.
Editing by Christopher, NZ.