445,318 views
45 votes
45 votes
A new national park has two caves that visitors can see. One cave is made of a different type of rock than the other one. Park rangers want to explain the difference to visitors. How could energy have played a role in the different rock types forming?

User Shaytac
by
2.0k points

1 Answer

17 votes
17 votes

Final answer:

Energy played a role in the formation of different rock types in the two caves of the new national park. One cave is made of limestone, which eroded due to water, while the other cave is formed by the dissolution of carbonate rocks through chemical reactions with acidic water.

Step-by-step explanation:

Energy played a role in the formation of different rock types in the two caves of the new national park.

One cave is made of limestone, which is a sedimentary rock. The limestone erodes quickly when in contact with water. The caves formed when melting glacier water or rain mixed with carbon dioxide forming carbonic acid, which reacted with the limestone causing it to breakdown. Over time, water erodes the limestone creating large areas of the caves.

The other cave is formed in a different type of rock, possibly karst, which is a result of the dissolution of carbonate rocks by acidic water. The formation of this type of cave is influenced by the chemical reactions between water and rock.

User Brien
by
3.0k points