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
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11 June 2012 / Life
Bats, facts and fiction
Legend or fact? In ancient Rome, bats were nailed to the door of the house as a protection from witches…
16 April 2012 / Life
Bats, The Lords of Darkness
Year of the bat The UNEP Convention on Migratory Species and The Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European…
7 January 2010 / Earth
Alps and Appennines
How a mountain chain is born The term orogeny was born from the Greek words oros (mountain) and genesis (origin);…
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10 January 2007 / Earth
Man and the mountain
Life on the mountains The antique populations that used to live at the bottom of the mountains didn’t face them…
13 May 2013 / 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…
2 October 2011 / Air
The hydrogeological risk
On the sides of watercourses are plains known as flood plains, that get flooded only occasionally after large amounts of…
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18 May 2009 / Earth
Sauropods
40 meters long and 17 high, huge but peaceful, the Branchiosaurus were a masterpiece in genetic Engineering. Survival machines in…
10 November 2011 / Earth
Landslides
Water and gravity in action Very punctually, with the arrival of the spring and autumn precipitations, the topic of landslides…
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…
-
11 June 2012 / Life
Bats, facts and fiction
Legend or fact? In ancient Rome, bats were nailed to the door of the house as a protection from witches…
16 April 2012 / Life
Bats, The Lords of Darkness
Year of the bat The UNEP Convention on Migratory Species and The Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European…
-
7 January 2010 / Earth
Alps and Appennines
How a mountain chain is born The term orogeny was born from the Greek words oros (mountain) and genesis (origin);…
10 January 2007 / Earth
Man and the mountain
Life on the mountains The antique populations that used to live at the bottom of the mountains didn’t face them…
-
13 May 2013 / 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…
2 October 2011 / Air
The hydrogeological risk
On the sides of watercourses are plains known as flood plains, that get flooded only occasionally after large amounts of…
-
18 May 2009 / Earth
Sauropods
40 meters long and 17 high, huge but peaceful, the Branchiosaurus were a masterpiece in genetic Engineering. Survival machines in…
10 November 2011 / Earth
Landslides
Water and gravity in action Very punctually, with the arrival of the spring and autumn precipitations, the topic of landslides…
-
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…
-
11 June 2012 / Life
Bats, facts and fiction
Legend or fact? In ancient Rome, bats were nailed to the door of the house as a protection from witches…
-
16 April 2012 / Life
Bats, The Lords of Darkness
Year of the bat The UNEP Convention on Migratory Species and The Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European…
-
7 January 2010 / Earth
Alps and Appennines
How a mountain chain is born The term orogeny was born from the Greek words oros (mountain) and genesis (origin);…
-
10 January 2007 / Earth
Man and the mountain
Life on the mountains The antique populations that used to live at the bottom of the mountains didn’t face them…
-
13 May 2013 / 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…
-
2 October 2011 / Air
The hydrogeological risk
On the sides of watercourses are plains known as flood plains, that get flooded only occasionally after large amounts of…
-
18 May 2009 / Earth
Sauropods
40 meters long and 17 high, huge but peaceful, the Branchiosaurus were a masterpiece in genetic Engineering. Survival machines in…
-
10 November 2011 / Earth
Landslides
Water and gravity in action Very punctually, with the arrival of the spring and autumn precipitations, the topic of landslides…
-
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…
from the Multimedia section
curiosities
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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...