How Are Limestone Caves Made?

Limestone dissolves very easily. Water erosion can ear it away. When rainwater soaks into a formation of limestone, bits of rock dissolve. If the holes get big enough they become caves. Rain water and groundwater contain carbon dioxide, which is a weak acid. Limestone is dissolved by this acidic water. The water flows into cracks in limestone and dissolves it little by little. Caves, like many other natural formations, take ages to complete. Limestone deposits look like daggers and hang down from the top of a cave are called stalactites. The ones that stick up from the floor are called stalagmites. Caves may have strange features. Erosion sculpts designs on their walls. Caves with water often have fish that are blind from living in total darkness.