How are caves formed in limestone mountains?
Regions dominated by limestone have many characteristic landforms, including limestone caves, also called solution caves. The caves form as limestone rock is dissolved away over the course of many years. Water, seeping through the ground, absorbs carbon dioxide from the soil. Water and carbon dioxide react chemically to form carbonic acid, a very weak acid that slowly dissolves the limestone. The mineral is usually redeposited later as stalactites or stalagmites, characteristic formations of a limestone cave.
