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A solutional cave, solution cave, or karst cave is a cave usually formed in a soluble rock like limestone (Calcium carbonate CaCO 3). It is the most frequently occurring type of cave. It can also form in other rocks, including chalk, dolomite, marble, salt beds, and gypsum. [1]
Speleogenesis is the origin and development of caves, the primary process that determines essential features of the hydrogeology of karst and guides its evolution. It often deals with the development of caves through limestone, caused by the presence of water with carbon dioxide dissolved within it, producing carbonic acid which permits the dissociation of the calcium carbonate in the limestone.
Karst (/ k ɑːr s t /) is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground.
Caves do form in the dolomite of the Ghaap Plateau, including the Early, Middle and Later Stone Age site of Wonderwerk Cave; however, the caves that form along the escarpment's edge, like that hypothesised for the Taung Child, are formed within a secondary limestone deposit called tufa.
Much dolomite is secondary dolomite, formed by chemical alteration of limestone. [6] [7] Limestone is exposed over large regions of the Earth's surface, and because limestone is slightly soluble in rainwater, these exposures often are eroded to become karst landscapes. Most cave systems are found in limestone bedrock.
The cave was formed in two types of limestone, separated by a thin layer of shale. The two types of limestone are: Indiana Limestone; St. Louis Limestone; The cave remains a constant 54 °F (14 °C) temperature throughout the year.
A speleothem (/ ˈ s p iː l i ə θ ɛ m /; from Ancient Greek σπήλαιον (spḗlaion) 'cave' and θέμα (théma) 'deposit') is a geological formation made by mineral deposits that accumulate over time in natural caves. [1] Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a ...
Flowstones are sheetlike deposits of calcite or other carbonate minerals, formed where water flows down the walls or along the floors of a cave. [1] They are typically found in "solution caves", in limestone, where they are the most common speleothem. However, they may form in any type of cave where water enters that has picked up dissolved ...