How are caves made in limestone country?
Under the soil in limestone country is a huge layer of limestone. In some places there are vertical cracks in the layer. In other places there are horizontal cracks. When it rains, the water seeps through the soil into the limestone and runs down and along the cracks. In time, the water makes the cracks wider. The vertical cracks become shafts and the horizontal cracks become galleries. Water may continue to flow through the shafts and galleries and make them larger still. These large spaces in the rock are called caves. As the water cuts its way down through the rock it may leave dry caves above, which people can visit at any time. Lower down, the caves may have pools and streams and may fill with water in wet weather.
