
school energy&environment
Caves
Interesting landscapes are not only found on the Earth’s surface, but also in the depths of the Earth. We are speaking of underground cavities, caves, that are very important for various aspects. All the changes that take place around the cave, such as tectonic movements, climatic changes, changes in the topography, cause changes inside the karst systems, that tend to find a new balance with the new situation. Therefore, caves are not characterized by stable features, that do not change in time and space; it must always be borne in mind that they were formed in topographic and climatic situations that were greatly different from the current situation. The study of the sediments that are carried inside the caves, with their characteristics, their composition, their contents in fossils, enables us to reconstruct the variations in the environment and in the climate on the Earth’s surface. Karst aquifers account for a very important source of water in a large number of regions of the Earth: in fact karst areas are, by nature, without water on the surface and all the water circulation takes place underground. However these resources are very delicate to use and to protect. In fact karst aquifers, due to some of their characteristics, are particularly vulnerable to pollution and excessive exploitation.
subjects dealt with in Caves

Caves knowledge
Most rocks have pores and cavities within them. Generally, however, these are not large enough for a person to explore.…

How caves form
Most of the longest and deepest caves in the world are formed by chemical corrosion processes in rocks particularly water-soluble…

Karst landscape
A large number of factors influence the formation of cave systems : chemical factors and climate control the dissolving capacity…

Studying caves
There are many different reasons that drive some men and women towards speleology: for some it is the sporting or…

Caves and water
Water that is normally present in porous rocks, such as sand or gravel, fills all the voids in a continuous…

Cave inhabitants
Cave environment, dark and mysterious, has always stimulated man’s fantasy, provoking a mixture of curiosity and fear. Man has envisioned…
special reports
-
13 May 2018 / Earth
Small steps, great footprints
Which one takes up more space, an apple or a steak? Have you ever wondered how much space is taken…
18 February 2022 / Earth
Medicine, climate or space exploration? The main scientific challenges in 2022
According to the international journal Nature, the year that has just begun will bring with it major scientific and technological…
21 January 2022 / Earth
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai
On 15 January, at about 5 pm (Italian time), the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted, spewing a huge amount of…
-
2 May 2021 / Earth
Citizen science, research conducted by ordinary citizens
When we think of scientists, we often imagine people wearing white coats, shut up in a laboratory working with test…
9 February 2021 / Earth
At the origin of rocks: the secrets of paleomagnetism
Dear rock, tell me how your magnetic crystals are oriented and I'll tell you when, under what conditions and in…
28 August 2020 / Earth
The Earth seen from above: signs of fires
This image was taken by the ASTER sensor installed on the NASA TERRA satellite platform. The image was taken on…
-
15 July 2020 / Earth
Earth viewed from above
Remote satellite sensing: what it is and what it is used for In the scientific field, the images produced by…
12 April 2019 / Earth
Easter with extinct friends
Easter Island is shaped like a triangle with three extinct volcanoes placed at the vertices, and has a total area…
5 July 2018 / Earth
Science: Anaximander’s revolution
Rerum fores aperuisse, Anaximander Milesius traditur primus. Anaximander the Milesian is reported to have been the first to open the…
-
13 May 2018 / Earth
Small steps, great footprints
Which one takes up more space, an apple or a steak? Have you ever wondered how much space is taken…
18 February 2022 / Earth
Medicine, climate or space exploration? The main scientific challenges in 2022
According to the international journal Nature, the year that has just begun will bring with it major scientific and technological…
-
21 January 2022 / Earth
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai
On 15 January, at about 5 pm (Italian time), the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted, spewing a huge amount of…
2 May 2021 / Earth
Citizen science, research conducted by ordinary citizens
When we think of scientists, we often imagine people wearing white coats, shut up in a laboratory working with test…
-
9 February 2021 / Earth
At the origin of rocks: the secrets of paleomagnetism
Dear rock, tell me how your magnetic crystals are oriented and I'll tell you when, under what conditions and in…
28 August 2020 / Earth
The Earth seen from above: signs of fires
This image was taken by the ASTER sensor installed on the NASA TERRA satellite platform. The image was taken on…
-
15 July 2020 / Earth
Earth viewed from above
Remote satellite sensing: what it is and what it is used for In the scientific field, the images produced by…
12 April 2019 / Earth
Easter with extinct friends
Easter Island is shaped like a triangle with three extinct volcanoes placed at the vertices, and has a total area…
-
5 July 2018 / Earth
Science: Anaximander’s revolution
Rerum fores aperuisse, Anaximander Milesius traditur primus. Anaximander the Milesian is reported to have been the first to open the…
13 May 2018 / Earth
Small steps, great footprints
Which one takes up more space, an apple or a steak? Have you ever wondered how much space is taken…
18 February 2022 / Earth
Medicine, climate or space exploration? The main scientific challenges in 2022
According to the international journal Nature, the year that has just begun will bring with it major scientific and technological…
21 January 2022 / Earth
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai
On 15 January, at about 5 pm (Italian time), the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted, spewing a huge amount of…
2 May 2021 / Earth
Citizen science, research conducted by ordinary citizens
When we think of scientists, we often imagine people wearing white coats, shut up in a laboratory working with test…
9 February 2021 / Earth
At the origin of rocks: the secrets of paleomagnetism
Dear rock, tell me how your magnetic crystals are oriented and I'll tell you when, under what conditions and in…
28 August 2020 / Earth
The Earth seen from above: signs of fires
This image was taken by the ASTER sensor installed on the NASA TERRA satellite platform. The image was taken on…
15 July 2020 / Earth
Earth viewed from above
Remote satellite sensing: what it is and what it is used for In the scientific field, the images produced by…
12 April 2019 / Earth
Easter with extinct friends
Easter Island is shaped like a triangle with three extinct volcanoes placed at the vertices, and has a total area…
5 July 2018 / Earth
Science: Anaximander’s revolution
Rerum fores aperuisse, Anaximander Milesius traditur primus. Anaximander the Milesian is reported to have been the first to open the…
from the Multimedia section
curiosities
-
And in underground tunnels?
There are groups of terrestrial animals that eat insects, worms and other invertebrates...
-
Can you breathe in a cave?
One of the most common beliefs is that in caves the air is often stuffy...
-
A small domestic experiment
In order to understand the number of factors that make a water undersaturated or...
The climate underground
Going down deep in the Earth’s crust, the temperatures increase gradually...
-
And in underground tunnels?
There are groups of terrestrial animals that eat insects, worms and other invertebrates...
-
Can you breathe in a cave?
One of the most common beliefs is that in caves the air is often stuffy...
-
A small domestic experiment
In order to understand the number of factors that make a water undersaturated or...
The climate underground
Going down deep in the Earth’s crust, the temperatures increase gradually...
And in underground tunnels?
There are groups of terrestrial animals that eat insects, worms and other invertebrates...
Can you breathe in a cave?
One of the most common beliefs is that in caves the air is often stuffy...
A small domestic experiment
In order to understand the number of factors that make a water undersaturated or...
The climate underground
Going down deep in the Earth’s crust, the temperatures increase gradually...