Return to Cave Journey Home Page
Who Lives in Caves? How Do Animals Adapt to Living in Caves? How Do Cave Animals Relate to Each Other? What is the Geology of a Cave? How & Why Would You Study a Cave? How Can I Help Conserve Caves?
Go to the Geology Room
Go to What Are Caves?
Go to Where Are Caves?
Go to How Do Caves Form?
Go to How Are Caves Decorated?
Go to Dripping Water
Go to Flowing Water
Go to Seeping Water
Go to Pooling Water
Go to What Are Cave Decorations?

Why Are There So Many Decorations in One Cave and Not Many in Another?

Left Hand Tunnel in Carlsbad Cavern
Click on the Picture for Larger Image
The amount of carbon dioxide released from the water entering a cave depends on the amount of organic (living) activity and matter in the soil above the cave. The amount of released carbon dioxide is a major factor influencing how many speleothems are in the cave.

Just take a look at these cave, what do you think is going on in one and not in the other?

 
Left Hand Tunnel in Carlsbad Cavern
Click on the Picture for Larger Image
 Big Room in Carlsbad Cavern
Click on the Picture for Larger Image

For Example:
Caves in the tropics have more organic matter and heavier rainfall than caves in the north.This means that caves in the tropics commonly have more and larger speleothems than the cold, northern caves.

Click on the Link(s) Below to Learn (About)...

What Cave Decorations Are

OR

Click on the Link(s) Below to Learn (About)...

How Dripping Water Makes Cave Formations
------
How Flowing Water makes Cave Formations
------
How Seeping Water Makes Cave Formations
------
How Pooling Water Makes Cave Formations