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A picture of a Bat flying in a cave - Exploring Cave logo.

Teaching Packet for Grades K—3

Cave type logo.

|| Lava Cave || Sea Cave || Ice Cave ||

Lava Cave

A picture of a cave formed by a lave tube.

Lava caves are tubes that form when molten rock flows away from volcanoes. Cool air causes the rock to harden on the outside, and when all the lava has drained out, the tube becomes a cave.


Sea Cave

A picture of a cave formed by the sea.

Sea caves are formed by waves crashing on rocky coastlines.


Ice Cave

A picture of a cave formed by ice.

Ice caves are formed by water flowing underneath glaciers of ice. Light passing through the ice makes the caves blue.


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This teacher packet was originally available in printed format. The online edition contains full text from the original publication. Some images have been modified or added to improve the scientific visualization of information. All poster text and images are available under the Poster section. A paper copy of the poster is for sale by calling 1-888-ASK-USGS. The Master Sheets and Activity Sheets are in PDF format. The PDF format reproduces the printed publication and will be better for creating overlay and overhead transparencies. To view and print PDF's install the Acrobat Reader, available at no charge from Adobe Systems. This document has undergone official review and approval for publications established by the National Mapping Division, U.S. Geological Survey.

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