Download this month’s column as a one page, easy to print PDF with this link –> lc-caves
Did you hear about the soccer team that was lost in a cave? Luckily they were all rescued. How did they get in such a situation? What was it like inside the cave? How are caves formed? Let’s learn more about caves.
1. Where did the soccer team get lost? Answer: Thailand, in a cave called Tham Luang. It is home to monkeys, statues and huge chambers that are lit by beams of sunlight. But if you go in deeper, the cave gets dark and narrow, and you can get trapped if the water rises. Learn more about this cave, at http://bitly.com/2n1vsjm or take a virtual tour, at https://youtu.be/v4JputXZXXY.
2. Where is the world’s biggest cave? Answer: A 747 could fly into the mouth of the Doong Cave in Vietnam http://bitly.com/2mYNqTA. But the longest cave is in the USA. It’s called Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, which has over 400 miles of tunnels. It’s been called a grand, gloomy, peculiar place. Learn more at https://www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm
3. How are caves made? One drip at a time. Caves are made by running water, and they take tens of thousands of years to form. Learn more at PBS http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/caves/
4. What’s the difference between a stalactite and a stalagmite? Each is formed when dissolved minerals drip in a cave. Stalactites hang from the ceiling (like icicles); stalagmites form on the floor. Here’s some news of a recent discovery of some amazing formations https://youtu.be/y2rMlyhhvDs
5. How is a cave like a time machine? Caves are nature’s vaults. If you put a mark on a wall, it could last for thousands of years, because it is protected from wind and rain. In fact, there are drawings that date back 64,000 years! Here’s a link that shows some good cave drawings http://bitly.com/2n4Nz88.
APPLICATION: MAKE A STALACTITE
Get some salt, some water and some string. http://bitly.com/2AxjQhC or try this experiment to make a small formation in a just a few days http://bitly.com/2ADgMQW
Now… let’s watch some amazing videos about caves! –> Visit YouTube
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