List Of Caves In Namibia

What are caves?

A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground.

Here are some of the list of caves in Namibia

Arnhem Caves

Flintstone Caves

Twyfelfontein

Ghaub Cave

Dragon’s Breath Cave

Kristall Galerie

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a cave and how is it formed?

Cave, also called cavern, natural opening in the earth large enough for human exploration. Such a cavity is formed in many types of rock and by many processes. The largest and most common caves are those formed by chemical reaction between circulating groundwater and bedrock composed of limestone or dolomite.

Why do we have caves in Namibia?

Water wants to go down. Just as rivers on the Earth’s surface flow toward the sea, Orndorff said, caves are pipelines for water to move from one place to another. If the water takes a fairly direct route, you can end up with what are called pit caves vertical shafts stretching straight down into the rock.

What is the most common type of cave in Namibia?

Solutional caves are the most frequently occurring caves and such caves form in rock that is soluble, such as limestone, but can also form in other rocks, including chalk, dolomite, marble, salt, and gypsum.

How deep can caves go in Namibia?

It is estimated that a cave cannot be more than 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) vertically beneath the surface due to the pressure of overlying rocks.

Which animals live in caves in Namibia?

Animals that spend their lives in a cave are called ‘troglophiles’. Examples of troglophiles include molluscs, worms, spiders, millipedes, centipedes, crustaceans, insects, fish, amphibians and reptiles. Caves are important homes for the animals that live there.

What is a cave full of water called in Namibia?

Cenotes are surface connections to subterranean water bodies. While the best-known cenotes are large open-water pools measuring tens of meters in diameter, such as those at Chichen Itza in Mexico, the greatest number of cenotes are smaller sheltered sites and do not necessarily have any surface exposed water.

What is the difference between cave and cavern in Namibia?

A Cave or a Cavern? A cave is defined as any cavity in the ground that has a section which does not receive direct sunlight. A cavern is just one type of cave which is formed naturally in soluble rock and grows speleothems (the general term for cave formations like stalagmites and stalactites).

Why is cave water so clear in Namibia?

Light began to fill the cave as it reflected through the pool appearing below. Over many years dust had collected on the surface of the underground lake. The thrown rock made a hole in the dust. Ripples slowly widened the hole and gradually moved the dust towards the walls of the cave exposing crystal clear water.

Why are caves so scary in Namibia?

Part of what makes caves spooky is the ambient “breathing” sound of hot and cool air cycling through narrow openings. The circular whoosh of air tempted people to their death down the cave’s 410-foot chasm as far back as 13,000 years ago. Today, public tours extend as deep as 165 feet into the vertical opening.

Do bugs live in caves in Namibia?

Cave dwelling insects are among the most widespread and prominent troglofauna (cave-dwelling animals), including troglobites, troglophiles, and trogloxenes. As a category of ecological adaptations, such insects are significant in many senses, ecological, evolutionary, and physiological.

Can I live in a cave in Namibia?

Some people choose to live in a cave today because it’s tradition, while for others, it’s an economic necessity. … There are people who build their own cave homes for environmental reasons. Most modern cave homes were intentionally carved out of the rock — not many people live in natural caves.

Can animals live in caves in Namibia?

Trogloxenes are animals that live in caves, usually at the very entrance or around cave systems but cannot exclusively depend on the caves to complete their life-cycle or daily activities. Extant trogloxene animals include rats, raccoons, opiliones, and bears.

What rocks make caves in Namibia?

Solution caves are formed in carbonate and sulfate rocks such as limestone, dolomite, marble, and gypsum by the action of slowly moving ground water that dissolves the rock to form tunnels, irregular passages, and even large caverns along joints and bedding planes.

Is a cave constructive or destructive in Namibia?

~ This cave is destructive because it was formed by water. This Hogback is Constructive because it was formed by rocks and nature.

Where does water in caves go in Namibia?

Most water that enters the cave comes down through the joints, which connect the cave with the surface. Where there are many joints, sinkholes can form on the surface. Sinkholes act like funnels, collecting rain water from the surface and funneling it into the cave.