I need to quickly know how long it takes for a cave to form, more then one cave would be helpful example-limestone, and gypsum caves. Thanks you whoever gets the answer right, the 10 points will go to you.
2007-12-04 10:59:12 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
There is no "right answer" as it depends on the conditions of water flow and how much soluble rock is there, but it normally its on the order of 10s of millions of years.
2007-12-04 11:08:54 · answer #1 · answered by Lady Geologist 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Anything from a few minutes (if a cave is an opening under a rock over hang that is undercut by a stream and suddenly becomes a cave when a slab of rock falls off) to a few months to a hundred or thousand years. A highly abrasive water stream in a soft material environment can make a cave very quickly - take a look at some of the water cut pathways in Mount St. Helens surrounding area and caves in glaciers when melt water with sediment finds a path. The empty cave can form in soft gypsum in a few years, harder limestone may take decades or longer.
2007-12-04 11:45:01 · answer #2 · answered by Mike1942f 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋