solution cave

Solution caves are the largest and most common type of cave, formed primarily by the dissolution of limestone or dolomite bedrock. These rocks contain calcium carbonate or calcium magnesium carbonate, which are soluble in the weak acids created when carbon dioxide dissolves in groundwater.12

Water seeping through soil and bedrock, or surface streams that disappear underground in karst areas, percolate through fractures. This water, often containing carbonic acid, gradually enlarges these fractures through chemical action, creating passages. While most solution caves form at relatively shallow depths, some can be formed by deeper, more acidic waters.13

These caves are transient geological features, forming, evolving, and eventually being destroyed over millions of years through processes of initiation, enlargement, stagnation, and decay. Entrances are often formed by accidental processes like sinkhole collapse or quarrying.341