the entrance to the cave was originally just a small hole.
There are two types of caves, Primary and Secondary caves.
Primary caves are formed at the same time as the surrounding rock,
like lava tubes. Secondary caves are formed inside the rock after
the rock has formed. There are several types of secondary caves,
Sea caves, glacier caves and Solutional caves to name a few. The
largest and most abundant Solutional caves are located in
limestone. Limestone dissolves under the action of rainwater and
groundwater charged with H2CO3 (carbonic acid) and naturally
occurring organic acids. The dissolution process produces a
distinctive landform known as karst, characterized by sinkholes,
sinking streams, and underground drainage. Limestone caves are
often adorned with calcium carbonate formations produced through
slow precipitation, including the most common and well-known
stalactites and stalagmites. These secondary mineral deposits in
caves are called speleothems. Solutional caves may form anywhere
the rock is soluble. You may not be able to find this 24/7. It is
hard to get a picture at night anyway. And the Park closes at Dust.
So please make sure you have time to hike the trail and then to the
second set of coordinates for the trail you will need to get to the
cave without much bush whacking.
Second coordinates so you do not have to bush whack are as
following:
North 36 23.469 West 82 22.073
Types of Caves
A simple classification of caves includes four main types and
several other relatively less important types.
A. Solution caves are formed in carbonate and sulfate rocks
such as limestone, dolomite, marble, and gypsum by the action of
slowly moving ground water that dissolves the rock to form tunnels,
irregular passages, and even large caverns along joints and bedding
planes. Most of the caves in the world-as well as the largest-are
of this type.
B. Lava caves are tunnels or tubes in lava formed when the outer
surface of a lava flow cools and hardens while the molten lava
within continues to flow and eventually drains out through the
newly formed tube.
C. Sea caves are formed by the constant action of waves which
attacks the weaker portions of rocks lining the shores of oceans
and large lakes. Such caves testify to the enormous pressures
exerted by waves and to the corrosive power of wave-carried sand
and gravel.
D. Glacier caves are formed by melt water which excavates
drainage tunnels through the ice. Of entirely different origin and
not to be included in the category of glacier caves are so-called
"ice caves," which usually are either solution caves or lava caves
within which ice forms and persists through all or most of the
year.
Now the difference in a rock shelter is as followed.A rock
shelter is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or
cliff. Another term is rock house. Rock shelters form because a
rock stratum such as sandstone that is resistant to erosion and
weathering has formed a cliff or bluff, but a softer stratum, more
subject to erosion and weathering, lies just below the resistant
stratum, and thus undercuts the cliff.
Unaka Mountains: Because the bedrock here consists of a
variety of igneous and metamorphic rocks, it is typically rather
resistant to erosion. As you might expect, some rock types erode
more readily than others, so significant relief (i.e. rugged
topography; steep slopes) is evident nonetheless. However, due to
(1) resistance of these rocks to erosion, (2) uplift associated
with the orogenies of the past, and (3) subsequent isostatic
movements, the elevation throughout this area is generally 1000's
of feet above sea level. Note: my cross-section transects an area
of the Unakas with relatively low elevations (2000 ft. or
so).
To log this earthcache you must post a picture of you holding
your GPS with the cave in the background and email me the answers
to the following questions...1. What are the dimensions of the
opening of this cave…floor to ceiling and side to side?2. What
natural substance is covering the floor of this cave?3. What is
your opinion on how this cave was formed?4. After reading the above
text and studying the physical area, do you think this should be
called a cave or a rock shelter?