cave
Sign in to savethumb|Lechuguilla Cave, [[New Mexico, United States]]
AI overview
A cave is a natural underground hollow or chamber formed in rock, such as the Lechuguilla Cave shown in New Mexico. Caves matter because they serve as important geological features, provide habitats for unique wildlife, and offer opportunities for scientific study and exploration.
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Article
19 sectionsContents
- Formation types
- Solutional
- Primary
- Sea or littoral
- Erosional
- Glacier
- Fracture
- Talus<span class="anchor" id="Talus_cave"></span>
- Anchialine
- Physical patterns
- Geographic distribution
- Records and superlatives
- Five longest surveyed
- Ecology
- Archaeological and cultural importance
- Caves and acoustics
- See also
- Notes
- References
thumb|Lechuguilla Cave, [[New Mexico, United States]]
Caves and caverns are natural voids under the surface of the Earth and have also been observed in other rocky worlds (e.g., on Mars). Caves often form by the weathering of rock and can extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance underground (such as rock shelters). Caves which extend farther underground than the opening is wide are called endogene caves.