Inside a Cave
1Have you ever wondered what it is like deep under the ground? Many caves are found in places with a lot of limestone. Over a very long time, water seeps into cracks in this rock and slowly dissolves it, a tiny bit at a time. Little by little, the cracks grow into tunnels and rooms. A very large cave room is called a cavern.
2Inside many caves, you can see amazing stone shapes. Water drips from the ceiling, and each drop carries a tiny bit of a mineral from the rock. As the water drips, it leaves a little of the mineral behind. A stalactite grows down from the ceiling, a little at a time, like an icicle made of stone. A stalagmite grows up from the floor below it. These shapes form very slowly.
3Sometimes a stalactite and a stalagmite grow so long that they meet. When they join, they make a column that reaches from the floor to the ceiling.
4Caves are home to some animals, too. Some bats rest in caves during the day and fly out at night to find food. Deep inside a cave, far from the entrance, there is no light at all. People who explore caves often wear helmets with lamps so they can see where they are going.