Joe and Dr Bea’s story Hi My name is Joe Dr Bea and I have just returned from the scariest of adventures It all happened when we were exploring a cave far below the mountain We had gone in to find some rare creatures that Dr Bea had heard lived there We had to go deep into the underground caves to find them because they rarely ever left the safety of the dark But we found them and much more too In fact we got so excited by our finds that we almost forgot that caves are dangerous places But let me tell you what happened 5
What is a cave Dr Bea told me she wanted to check out some worms living in a nearby cave She thought they might be difficult to find She said I could tag along if I wanted She would welcome the help A cave is a natural underground opening or hollow space Usually caves are formed when water wears away rock soil or ice In limestone rock caves can become huge Parts of a cave hole called a sinkhole created by the surface ground collapsing Because I had never climbed down into the depths of a cave before I jumped at the chance to go with her underground stream icicle shaped mineral chamber formation called a stalactite
Caves are usually made up of large open areas called chambers or caverns Caverns are joined by nar rower systems lower down called passages surface stream pool in a chamber The cave entrance may be a natural opening in the rock Formed over thousands of years as rock layers develop most caves begin as natural underground hollows The process of water erosion though cracks in the rock creates hollow areas that eventually form caves Caves can also form along coastlines where the action of crashing waves has the same eroding effect A cave that forms in a headland which is rock that juts out into the sea can break through the other side of the rock to form an arch The cave entrance may be carved out or eroded by the movement of waves and water limestone passage waterfall 7
