Cave

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/cave

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the secondary formation mechanisms?Volcanic activity (lava tubes), sea erosion (sea caves), and glacial processes
2. What is the scientific discipline?Speleology, an interdisciplinary science encompassing geology, hydrology, biology, and archaeology
3. How do caves form?Water that has become slightly acidic flows through cracks in rocks like limestone, slowly dissolving them and making larger holes over many years. Volcanoes can also make caves when lava cools and leaves a hollow tube.
4. Why do caves have stalactites and stalagmites?As mineral‑rich water drips into a cave, it leaves tiny mineral deposits that grow upward from the ceiling (stalactites) or downward from the floor (stalagmites), recording the cave’s history.

Dissolutional Weathering: The breakdown of rocks through chemical processes, particularly the dissolving action of water.
Speleothem: A mineral deposit formed in a cave, such as a stalactite or stalagmite.
Astrobiology: The scientific study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe.