Geography Teaching Today

Key questions:

• How do speleothems (cave formations) form?
• Why do caves need conservation?

Cultural understanding and diversity

How do speleothems (cave formations) form?
The vertical cavern, named Titan, measures a vertical drop of approximately 140m from top of the main shaft, some 60m higher than the previous record at Gaping Ghyll in the Yorkshire Dales. Water has passed down joints and along bedding planes for thousands, possibly millions of year dissolving the limestone as it flowed generating tunnels and caverns beneath the surface.

Why do caves need conservation?
Not only are caves a unique ecosystem they are also major tourist attractions leading to conflict between humans and the environment. With their own microclimate and ecology which is closely linked to the availability of light caves their environment has been threatened as they have been opened up to day trippers and cavers. In natural caves as the availability of light decreases so too does the number of species, the biodiversity. The introduction of artificial light can encourage the growth of green algae and this alters the food chain. Passages may be straightened or widened to allow access or entrances blocked by doors to secure sites, all changing the airflow and humidity and subsequently the environment and the ecosystem.

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