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Limestone Caves in Belize!!
I took this picture during my spring break trip to Belize. One of our excursions was cave tubing in ancient Mayan limestone caves!! The Mayans believed the caves were entrances to hell, but they are really just a result of the biogeochemical cycle! This is how they form: First carbon dioxide is captured in rainwater and brought to Earth's surface. Then, the carbon dioxide is transformed into carbonic acid in the groundwater. It is this weak acid that erodes away the limestone and creates the caves! The byproduct of this reaction is calcite. Calcite is removed and transported through the cave system by being dissolved in water. It is the dissolution of calcite in multiple different ways that forms stalactites and stalagmites. Cave formation is just one example of a cycle within the carbon cycle!! (www.kids-fun-science.com/limestone-caverns.html) (www.bgs.ac.uk/mendips/caveskarst/caveform.htm)
Limestone Caves in Belize!!
I took this picture during my spring break trip to Belize. One of our excursions was cave tubing in ancient Mayan limestone caves!! The Mayans believed the caves were entrances to hell, but they are really just a result of the biogeochemical cycle! This is how they form: First carbon dioxide is captured in rainwater and brought to Earth's surface. Then, the carbon dioxide is transformed into carbonic acid in the groundwater. It is this weak acid that erodes away the limestone and creates the caves! The byproduct of this reaction is calcite. Calcite is removed and transported through the cave system by being dissolved in water. It is the dissolution of calcite in multiple different ways that forms stalactites and stalagmites. Cave formation is just one example of a cycle within the carbon cycle!! (www.kids-fun-science.com/limestone-caverns.html) (www.bgs.ac.uk/mendips/caveskarst/caveform.htm)