Caves

A cave is "a natural opening in the ground extending beyond the zone of light and large enough to permit the entry of man," according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Caves can range in size from single rooms to large formations with winding passageways that extend for miles. Caves typically form in types of rock, such as limestone, that dissolve in water. It can take tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years for caves to form. The study of caves is called speleology, and the exploration of caves is called spelunking. Caves are famous of their dripstone features called speleothems, the most well-known of which are stalactites and stalagmites. Many of the strange creatures found in caves have adapted to live in near or total darkness — some are blind to visible light. See cave pictures and read about the latest cave discoveries and speleological research below.

Related Topics: Archaeology, Fossils, Human Origins

Latest Updates

A caver exploring Australia's deepest cave.

Hidden passage leads explorers to deepest cave Down Under

By Patrick Pester published

Cavers have successfully navigated Australia's deepest cave and named it the "Delta Variant" after COVID-19.

The Well of Barhout, also known as the 'Well of Hell', in the al-Mahra province in Yemen on June 6, 2021.

Cavers discover snakes and waterfalls inside Yemen's infamous 'Well of Hell' in world-first descent

By Harry Baker published

Cave explorers from Oman have become the first people to fully explore the infamous 'Well of Hell' sinkhole in Yemen.

A park ranger talks with Mammoth Cave visitors in Broadway, one of the cave's canyon passages.

Explorers add 8 miles to world's longest known cave system

By Laura Geggel published

Hours of survey work have added an additional 8 miles to the passageways at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky

All hail the king of the cave; long may he reign.

Deadly centipede 'king' rules over a poison hellscape cave

By Mindy Weisberger published

Dozens of species live in Romania's toxic Movile Cave, and a newly described centipede species is the "king" of this unique ecosystem.

Paleolithic footprints in cave

Humans Crawled Through a Cave 14,000 Years Ago. We Can Still See Their Perfectly Preserved Footprints.

By Laura Geggel published

Climate Change Drove Some Neanderthals to Cannibalism

By Mindy Weisberger published

Some Neanderthals resorted to desperate (and gruesome) measures to survive.

"[It's] like walking in an underground wonderland," said NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, describing his experience underground in the Sa Grutta caves in Sardinia, Italy.

Astronauts Spent 6 Nights in a Pitch-Black Cave, and Emerged with a Brand-New Species of Crustacean

By Brandon Specktor published

An international team of astronauts has discovered new life (in a cave below Italy).

An image shows the entrance to the salt cave under Mount Sedom.

Mount Sedom Hides the Longest Salt Cave on Earth

By Rafi Letzter published

Malham Cave in the Negev Desert is the longest salt cave in the world, measuring more than 6 miles (10 kilometers) in total length, researchers say.

Denisova Cave

Neanderthals and Denisovans Lived (and Mated) in This Siberian Cave

By Laura Geggel last updated

The Neanderthals and Denisovans — both relatives of modern humans — were roommates, literally, for thousands of years in a remote Siberian cave, two new studies find.

Scientists Just Discovered What May Be Canada's Largest Cave. And It Looks Like the Sarlacc's Pit.

By Mindy Weisberger published

A helicopter team counting caribou in Canada recently made an unexpected discovery.

Ice Age Cave Art Found Under Layers of Centuries-Old Graffiti

By Mindy Weisberger published

Newfound cave carvings from the ice age were obscured for centuries by graffiti.

Gallery: Rescuers Race Against Time to Save Soccer Team Trapped in Thai Cave

By Live Science Staff published

Government officials and rescue workers in Thailand are mobilizing to save a group of young boys and their soccer coach, stranded in a cave underground.

Diver Dies During Rescue Efforts for Cave-Trapped Thai Boys

By Mindy Weisberger published

A diver died during an attempt to rescue the Thai youths trapped in a cave.

Thai marine police walk out of Tham Luang caves on July 3, 2018, wearing their scuba gear as they continue the rescue operation of 12 boys and their soccer coach who have been stranded for over a week after monsoon rains blocked the main entrance in Chian

How Scuba Divers Will Rescue Soccer Team Trapped in Thai Cave

By Tia Ghose published

The boys who survived for 9 days in a flooded cave in Thailand will now have to go through a risky crash course in cave diving in order to make their way out.

How Long Can Humans Survive in a Cave?

By Yasemin Saplakoglu published

The youth soccer team and its coach in Thailand that had gone missing in the Tham Luang caves for more than a week have been found.

Inside the world's longest underwater cave system, archaeologists have found a time capsule that stretches back to the last ice age. They found 200 spots with archaeological remains, including Maya altars, ancient human bones and the fossils of extinct an

Remains of 'Maya Underworld' Found in World's Longest Submerged Cave

By Megan Gannon published

From ice age animals to Maya altars, the world's biggest underwater cave system has big potential for discoveries.

Neanderthal Teeth

An Ancient Hyena May Have Chomped Down on This Neanderthal's Face

By Laura Geggel published

Beautiful view of Cenote Sac Actún

Maya Underworld: Peek Inside the World's Longest Flooded Cave

By Stephanie Pappas published

The underwater cave is otherworldy.

Yucatan Peninsula caves and rivers

Cave of the 'Mayan Underworld' Filled with Methane-Eating Creatures

By Jasmin Malik Chua published

In a submerged cave network in the Yucatan, methane is an unlikely driving force for life.

A depiction of a man rubbed into a Mona Island cave wall at least 500 years ago

On an Uninhabited Caribbean Island, a Trove of Pre-Columbian Cave Art

By Dan Robitzski published