Exploring Caves Millions of small, mysterious worlds lie hidden from most of the planet. Most of these places, Earth’s caves, have never been explored. To learn more about these special areas, The Mini Page talked with an expert on caves.The dissolving land A cave is a hole in the ground that people can enter. (Of course, there are caves just the right size for bats, salamanders or one-celled organisms, too.) Caves can be created from many substances, including rock, salt, ice or lava. Most caves are formed when rock or salt is dissolved. Weak acids, usually about as strong as a cola, are made from water and carbon dioxide from the air. Over time, these acids dissolve the rock.
Some materials, such as rock salt and gypsum (JIP-sum), can be dissolved by water.
Cave material Dissolving land is called karst. Most caves are formed in karst landforms, and so are sinkholes, those weird holes that can suck in houses or cars. Caves and karst landforms are fragile and easily damaged. Cave visitors should not touch cave decorations, cave animals or things left by ancient humans.
Carving out caves Forces of nature other than acid also create caves. Along coastlines, tides carve out caves by wearing away rock such as sandstone or limestone. In deserts, winds blast away layers of rock, creating small caves. In the Atacama Desert in Chile, for example, wind and water form salt caves. This is the driest place on Earth. When a bit of water appears, it is only enough to dissolve the salt partway, which can create caves. In Antarctica, volcanic activity and periods of thawing carve out caves from thick ice. Lava tubes are caves created by molten, or hot liquid, lava from volcanoes. As rivers of lava flow from the volcano, the outside layers cool and harden first, forming a kind of tube. When the volcano eruptions stop, the last of the molten lava drains from the tube or turns solid at the exit, leaving an empty cave behind.
phot
o by
Ale
xand
er C
olho
un, c
ourt
esy
Nat
iona
l Sci
ence
Fou
ndat
ion
A scientist climbs inside an ice cave in Antarctica. This cave formed when melting glacier ice flowed off the slopes of Mount Erebus, an active volcano on Ross Island. It is the most southern active volcano in the world.
phot
o co
urte
sy N
atio
nal P
ark
Ser
vice
Molten lava constructed this lava tube in El Malpais National Monument in New Mexico.
phot
o by
Dal
e P
ate,
cou
rtes
y N
atio
nal P
ark
Ser
vice
A bat roosts in Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. Bats have lived there for millions of years.
Words that remind us of caves are hidden in the block below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally. See if you can find: ACID, DESERT, DRY, EXPLORE, GROUND, ICE, KARST, LIMESTONE, MICROBE, MYSTERIOUS, PAINTINGS, PRESERVE, ROCK, SALT, STALACTITE, STALAGMITE, SUN, TIDES, TUBE, WATER, WIND.
Caves try ’n’find
Caves are Cool!
K W S W N E T I M G A L A T S T A A A I S G N I T N I A P P E I R T L N T E B O R C I M R X G D S E T D U T R E S E D E P R V E T R M L B B K E C I S L O R L S D I C A E N N U S E O U O G E N O T S E M I L D R R N C S U O I R E T S Y M R V E D K E T I T C A L A T S Y E
The Mini Page provides ideas for websites, books or other resources that will help you learn more about this week’s topics.On the Web:• nature.nps.gov/geology/caves• kidsdiscover.com/blog/spotlight/caves-for-kids• youtube.com/watch?v=fTNlZl7-s4wAt the library: • “The Secret Cave: Discovering Lascaux” by Emily Arnold McCully • “Painters of the Caves” by Patricia Lauber • “Limestone Caves” by Roy A. Gallant
Cave sculptures Water mixes with chemicals from the ground and seeps into the earth. When there is a cave under the ground, the mixture drips into the cave. Sometimes, the mixture hardens as it drips, forming structures that look like icicles made of rock. These awesome hanging structures are called stalactites (stuh-LAK-tites). They start out tiny and can grow to 30 feet long. Sometimes, the water and chemical mix drops onto the floor of the cave. The mixture hardens on the ground. As more of the mixture drops down over the years, layers build up, forming taller and taller structures. When these structures grow up from the ground, they are called stalagmites (stuh-LAG-mites). A tip to help remember the names is that stalacTites form from the Top. StalagMites rise up from the ground, like Mountains.
Stalactites and stalagmites decorate the Queen’s Chamber in Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. These structures are not active at the moment because of the dry climate. In Carlsbad, they have been growing for at least 350,000 years.
phot
o by
Pet
er J
ones
, cou
rtes
y N
atio
nal P
ark
Ser
vice
phot
o by
Pet
er J
ones
, cou
rtes
y N
atio
nal P
ark
Ser
vice
Stalactites and stalagmites decorate the Doll’s Theater in Carlsbad Caverns.
A look back in time Stalactites and stalagmites are like cave fossils. Experts can learn what the Earth was like when these decorations were formed, much like studying dinosaur fossils can tell us about dinosaurs. By studying these structures, experts learn what the Earth’s climate and atmosphere were like, the temperature of the Earth during the growth of the structures, and whether there was life in the area.
®
Rookie Cookie’s RecipeTuna Bean Salad
You’ll need:• 1 (3-ounce) can tuna, packed in water• 1/2 cup chickpeas (garbanzo beans)• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper, any color• 1/4 cup chopped cucumber• 1 tablespoon olive oil• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar• 1/2 teaspoon cuminWhat to do:1. Drain tuna and mix with chickpeas in medium bowl.2. Add vegetables.3. Combine olive oil, vinegar and cumin in a separate smaller bowl;
whisk to blend.4. Pour dressing over tuna mixture and toss gently to coat. Serves 1 to 2.You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.
Meet Beyoncé Beyoncé Knowles is the voice of Queen Tara in the movie “Epic.” She also composed and sang the song “Rise Up” for the movie. Beyoncé, 31, is known by just her first name. Besides singing and composing, she also acts and dances. She has appeared in several movies. She grew up in Houston. She began singing and dancing in talent show competitions when she was a child. She sang in her school choir in elementary school. She joined a singing group when she was 9; it later became known as
Destiny’s Child. She went to a special high school for the performing arts and sang in her church choir. Beyoncé supports several charities, including those that help people in Haiti, fight against childhood obesity, and help widows and families of New York firefighters and police. She also helps the Goodwill charity and charities that help girls around the world.
Chuck: How do chess players begin a story?Cindy: “Once a-pawn a time”!
Chester: What makes a chess player happy?Chelsea: Taking a knight off!
TM
All the following jokes have something in common. Can you guess the common theme or category?
Colin: What do chess players like for breakfast?
Candace: Pawn-cakes!
Mini Spy . . .Mini Spy and Alpha Betty are exploring a cave! Their adult guides are just ahead. See if you can find: • bearded man • man in the moon • fish • bell• butterfly • mushroom • lima bean • hamburger• snake • carrot • elephant • word MINI• whale • heart • snail • number 6
Supersport: Mariano RiveraHeight: 6-2 Birthdate: 11/29/69Weight: 195 Hometown: Panama City, Panama When the New York Yankees are trying to protect a lead in the ninth inning, Mariano Rivera is the man they want on the mound. The reliable Rivera is baseball’s best-known closer, with a career record of more than 625 saves.
(To record a save, a pitcher must hold a lead of 3 runs or fewer.) At age 43, the right-hander is still throwing smoke. He had 16 saves in his first 17 opportunities this year, tops in the major leagues. He just keeps on giving the Yankees stellar relief performances. In 19-plus seasons — all with the Yankees — he’s a 12-time All-Star and has contributed to five World Series titles. Rivera also has been a major contributor to various charities in the U.S. and Latin America.
The Mini Page StaffBetty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist
Exploring caves Going into caves can be dangerous. Never go into a cave without an adult. But with the right training, the right equipment and with adult supervision, cave exploration can be fun. Many youth groups have cave clubs. Park guides often take groups into caves. Exploring caves is calledspelunking (speh-LUNG-king). Many people also explore caves to seek important knowledge. Because cave organisms are often so different, they could help us develop new medicines or technology. Worlds apart Each cave is a separate world with its own special environment. Because caves are often cut off from much of the planet, they can form unique (u-NEEK), or one-of-a-kind, habitats. Organisms inside a cave might live nowhere else on Earth. Explorers keep finding organisms we’ve never known about before. Most of these newly discovered organisms are microbes (MI-krobes), or tiny creatures that we need a microscope to see. But experts are discovering brand-new animals too.
Shelters We call early humans “cavemen” because we have found their tools, art and supplies preserved, or saved, in caves. We have discovered cave paintings that are thousands of years old on every continent except Antarctica. Many modern humans still live in caves, especially in lands away from cities, such as in parts of Afghanistan. Caves keep out winds, ultraviolet radiation from the sun and stormwater. Most caves are dry. Even if they were formed by water, by the time humans moved in, the water was probably long gone. People have discovered cloth made 12,000 years ago in a cave in Peru. Caves have even preserved Neanderthal bones so well that we have been able to gather their DNA.
Special animals Because cave animals can be shut off from the rest of the world, each type develops differently. Food supplies are scarce underground. Cave animals save resources by losing anything they don’t need, such as sight. In a place with little or no light, there is no need for eyes. Other senses may grow stronger instead. For example, cave crickets and cave scorpions grow extra-long antennae and legs. They depend on touch rather than sight. Cave dwellers often lose their coloring too. Since they are hidden in the dark, there is no need for colors that might be used to attract a mate or hide from enemies above ground.
A cave cricket in Mammoth Cave shows special adaptations to cave life. Its antennae and legs are extra-long, and it has lost its color.
phot
o by
Dal
e P
ate,
cou
rtes
y N
atio
nal P
ark
Ser
vice
The Mini Page thanks Dr. Penelope J. Boston, associate director, National Cave and Karst Research Institute, for help with this issue.
Look through your newspaper for stories about unusual places.
phot
o co
urte
sy W
ikim
edia
Com
mon
s
This horse art from the Lascaux caves in France is one of thousands of paintings in these caves. They were painted about 17,300 years ago. Elsewhere, cave paintings have been found that are at least 30,000 years old.ph
oto
by P
eter
Jon
es, N
atio
nal P
ark
Ser
vice
Passages into caves can be so narrow that people may be surrounded by rock on all sides. Caving takes special training.
Next week, The Mini Page celebrates the Fourth of July.
