Know caves in the United States.

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        In the United States, there are about 17,000 know caves.  Rhode Island and Louisiana are the only states that do not have any caves.  Only one hundred and twenty-five of these known caves have been opened to the public.  Of the opened caves, fifteen are in national parks or monuments, thirty are in state parks, and the rest are privately owned and operated.  Caves that have not been opened yet to the public should not be explored, except by experts.

        Neff Canyon in Utah is the deepest cave in the United States with a depth of 1,189 feet below the cave entrance.  Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico is the second deepest with a depth of 1,022 feet below the cave entrance.  Carlsbad Caverns also has the largest cave room that has an area of fourteen acres.  Carlsbad Caverns is now a dead cave, which means that it is no longer forming, there is not any running water, and the plants are not living.  Even though it is a dead cave, it still has a lot of color inside the cave.  In 1974, more than 670,000 people visited Carlsbad Caverns.

        Caves seem to be a natural wonder to many visitors.  Caves have natural openings in the ground that lead deep into the body of the cave.  These openings are called sinkholes, which are funnel-shaped structures that are the entrances to the caves.  Caves remain at a constant temperature of 60 degrees all year round.  Caves range in size from single small rooms to mile long passages that interconnect with one another.  

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Speleology is the scientific study of caves.  Speleothems are the decorative dripstone features inside a cave.  Speleothems (cave formations) need rainfall to pass through the plant debris and carbonate bedrock to form.  The rate of formation of speleothems depends on the rate of water flow and how much water there is.  Also, the rate of formation depends on the temperature and humidity conditions in the cave, and the amount of acidity and minerals in the water.  The balance is so delicate, that even a small amount of body oil from human touch can inhibit or stop formation completely.

        The two ...

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