Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology => Topic started by: OokieWonderslug on 03/06/2023 17:59:16
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Been looking for a mountain with it's cave network exposed due to erosion. If the slow erosion of everything is true then there should be several places where cave networks are exposed and open with no more cover. You know, with exposed flowstone and the like.
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Hull Pot in the Yorkshire Dales used to be a cave before the roof collapsed.
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Douk_Cave
https://www.caverescue.org.uk/contact-us/#:~:text=Important%20Note,dial%20999
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Caves that get too close to the outside world tend to cave in, often forming a "pothole".
Flowstone and other cave formations are composed of soluble calcium carbonate - they deposit solid crystal because the evaporation of slow seepage leaves behind a saturated solution.
- If you expose these soluble formations to flowing water (eg rain), they will tend to dissolve away.
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So there are a couple sites that can be described as I asked. I expected there to be hundreds of examples at all stages of erosion. I still don't think they are as common as I think they should be. As a kid I visited literally hundreds of rock outcrops with my Dad hunting arrowheads. The rocks above ground always carried more interest than the ones that are buried. I examined them and always tried to put them in their proper setting. Many things never made sense and most of them still don't. Like the coal beds of WV. You get water sourced sand dunes. They abruptly turn to coal in a perfectly flat line with zero roots and zero topography. Then the dunes return later, off another perfectly flat line and begin their thing for however long and rinse repeat at least 4 times. I fail to understand how that transition could possibly happen. I've been in many coal mines, the roof is always flat. No roots ever stick out above or below the coal seam. I would really love to understand how you can keep alternating like that. Where do the little valleys go? The hills? Why is the sand always empty?
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I expected there to be hundreds of examples at all stages of erosion
The most extreme form of easily-recognisable cave erosion is the limestone arch, often found in limestone areas.
- It used to be an underground cave system
- Only the caves on either side of the arch have collapsed, leaving just the central arch.