What is a cave?
Q: What is a cave?
A: A cave is a natural underground hollow space with narrow passageways and chambers. They are usually formed when acidic water wears away softer stones, such as limestone, leaving only the hard rock like granite. Caves can also be formed by natural catastrophes or by ice and glaciers.
Q: What type of formations can be found in caves?
A: Caves can have formations such as stalagmites and stalactites which are made over thousands of years by water dripping and leaving mineral deposits.
Q: What types of animals live in caves?
A: Many creatures live in the entrance areas of caves, for example snakes, mice, spiders & porcupines. Only a few animals are found deep in caves but bats often live in them. Another common creature found in caves is cave crickets.
Q: Have people ever lived in caves?
A: Yes, people used to live in many European caves during the Stone Age and some still provide shelter for trekkers today.
Q: Are there any paintings on the walls of some caves?
A: Yes, some caves have beautiful paintings on their walls that were created by ancient civilizations or cultures long ago.
Q: Who explores caves?
A: People who explore caves are called cavers or speleologists (the study of exploring these spaces is called speleology). They go into them for fun, exercise and to see the different formations inside them.
Q: Is it dangerous to explore a cave?
A:Yes, exploring a cave can be dangerous because they sometimes have deep holes that need to be navigated around carefully and cavers may need to climb or crawl through tight passages too so it's important to always go with four or more people each having two or three light sources attached to their helmets for safety reasons.
