Caves Essay, Research Paper
The video I reviewed was a National Geographic film called Mysteries Underground.
This video was about extraordinary sites there are to see in underground caves. You traveled
along with cave explorers and got to see all the beautiful untouched natural formations such as
gypsum chandeliers, gnarled calcite columns, and jewel-like lakes. It showed and talked about all
the careful proceders the cave explorers go through. It also talked about how the formations
were made over such a long time.
I learned many interesting things that would never seem possible. In the world?s new
most exotic ,Lechuguilla, cave there lied water so clean and clear that the cave explorers were
forced to take all there clothes off before they swam acrossed it because the littlest dirt from any
clothing would contaminate the pureness of the water. All the cave explorers are very cautious as
to what they touch or where they step because some of the crystal formations are so fragile that
the slightest vibration from a voice or a footstep could ruin millions of years of forming. In some
parts of caves there are giant and very smooth ice formations that must be slid down very
carefully because if they are not taken cautiously you will pick up to much speed while sliding and
finally hit some kind of stone wall or something. One lady was not careful enough and boy did
she pay. She was only a mile and a half or so in the cave and she broke her leg. It took almost
five days to get who to the surface of the cave where she could be attended to. Also I found out
that caves were much larger then I had originally thought. The largest cave now, Mammoth
Cave, is over 200 miles long. And if you are exploring a cave being miles and miles from the
entrance it is very important that you be careful because if you break your leg that far from the
entrance it would probably take months to get you out safely. One safety precaution I learned
was that when the explorers are traveling through cold water they must make sure they don?t get
their upperbody wet because that will cause them to freeze and get many sicknesses that are
caused by the cold. One thing that I found interesting was that with the technology today you
would think that we would have all the caves discovered and explored. We aren?t close at all. In
fact some caves have been being explored for years and there is still no end in sight. That just
goes to show that there is still much more to learn and discover.
I would recommend this video to anyone who is fascinated by the amazing things mother
nature can create. This one hour video will give you a lifetime of information. It reminds you
that anything is possible and to keep an open mind. You would enjoy this video because it is most
of the very rare film footage ever made on some of the amazing formations. Since no other films
or shows are out there like this one, everything they say and show you is new, so you learn a
great amount.
Friedberg, L (Producer), & Friedberg, L (Director). (1992). National Geographic Video:
Mysteries Underground [Videotape]. (Available from National Geographic Society).