Caves | Weird But True! | S1 E14 | Full Episode | @natgeokids

Summary

Charlie and Kirby embark on an underground adventure in Virginia to determine the winner of a diorama duel. With the help of cave expert David, they explore a limestone solution cave, discovering various geological formations like stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstone. They learn about cave animals, including trogloxenes, troglophiles, and troglobites, and discuss the impact of human activity on bats. The duo's experience culminates in a thrilling rappel into a deep cave, where they gather inspiration for their dioramas, ultimately resulting in a tie and a combined masterpiece.

Takeaways

• 🧩 The video features a 'diarama duel', a creative competition where two players craft the best diorama with a cave theme.
• 🗺️ The duo explores various types of caves, including lava caves, desert caves, sea caves, glacier caves, tectonic caves, and limestone solution caves.
• 🔬 They learn about cave formations like stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstone, which are formed over millions of years through processes like dissolution and deposition.
• 🦇 Caves are home to unique wildlife, including bats, trogloxenes, troglophiles, and troglobites, with some species being endemic to specific caves.
• 🏔️ The video highlights the importance of cave conservation, mentioning the white-nose syndrome that has severely impacted bat populations.
• 🧗‍♂️ Caving safety is emphasized, with tips on proper gear, group exploration, and the three-point contact rule for climbing in caves.
• 🌟 The adventure includes a thrilling rappelling experience to reach a deep, hard-to-access cave with spectacular geological features.
• 🏆 Despite the competition, both competitors' dioramas are combined to create a comprehensive cave scene, resulting in another tie.
• 🌐 The video concludes with a hint at a new project, suggesting a transition from underground to space exploration in future crafts.
• 📚 The script provides educational insights into speleology, the scientific study of caves, and the unique ecosystems they support.

Q & A

What is a diarama duel?

A diarama duel is a head-to-head competition where two players create the best diarama (a model or scene in a box) to win fame, fortune, and eternal glory.

What are the different types of caves mentioned in the script?

The script mentions lava caves, sea caves, glacier caves, tectonic caves, and limestone solution caves.

How do limestone solution caves form?

Limestone solution caves form when acidic groundwater dissolves the limestone over millions of years, creating cracks and eventually large spaces.

What is the term for cave exploration?

The term for cave exploration is spelunking.

What are the three main types of cave-dwelling animals?

The three main types of cave-dwelling animals are trines (use caves for shelter), triles (can live in caves and other places), and troglobites (can only live in caves).

What is the significance of the Mexican Tetra in the context of cave animals?

The Mexican Tetra is an example of a troglobite, an animal that can only live inside caves. It has unique adaptations like being albino and having no eyes.

What is white nose syndrome, and how does it affect bats?

White nose syndrome is a deadly disease affecting bats, causing them to have a white fungus on their noses. It has led to significant declines in bat populations.

Why is it important to wash your clothes after caving?

Washing clothes after caving is important to prevent the spread of diseases like white nose syndrome, which can be harmful to bat populations.

What is the term for the scientific study and exploration of caves?

The scientific study and exploration of caves is called speleology.

What is the world's deepest cave, and where is it located?

The world's deepest cave is Krubera Cave, also known as Voronya Cave, located in the Arabika Massif of the Gagra Range in Abkhazia, Georgia.

Outlines

00:00

🧩 Introduction to the Diarama Duel

Charlie and Kirby introduce a competition called the 'diarama duel', which is a head-to-head crafting duel to create the best diorama. The winner gains fame and glory, while the loser loses their crafting reputation and dignity. During their duel, they end up in a tie, leading to an underground cave diarama challenge. They prepare for the challenge by researching different types of caves, such as lava caves, sea caves, glacier caves, tectonic caves, and limestone solution caves. They also call an expert, David, for advice on caving and learn about essential caving gear and safety tips.

05:02

🌿 Exploring Limestone Solution Caves

The duo, along with their friend David, a caving expert, explore a limestone solution cave in Virginia. They learn about how these caves are formed by acidic water dissolving the rock over millions of years. David shares safety tips for cave exploration, such as maintaining three points of contact while climbing and the importance of helmets and knee pads. They discover various rock formations within the cave, including stalactites, stalagmites, and columns, and learn about the scientific term 'speleothems' which encompasses all cave features. They also discuss the constant cold and wet conditions within caves.

10:04

🕊️ Discovering Cave Ecology

The group delves deeper into the cave, learning about the slow formation of stalactites and stalagmites, with a focus on the time it takes for these features to grow. They encounter flowstone, a formation created by water flowing over rocks, and discuss the naming conventions for cave features. They also explore the unique cave ecosystem, including trogloxenes (animals that use caves for shelter), troglophiles (animals that can live in caves and other places), and troglobites (animals that can only live in caves). They discuss the impact of human activity on cave-dwelling bats, particularly white-nose syndrome, and the importance of proper caving practices to protect these delicate ecosystems.

15:05

🧗‍♂️ The Art of Caving and Repelling

The adventurers experience the thrill of repelling into a deep, hard-to-reach cave, guided by David. They discuss the history of caving, including the deep caves explored by expeditions and the use of various techniques to navigate these challenging environments. They also touch on the delicate nature of caves and the importance of respecting these environments by leaving no trace. The group reflects on their findings and prepares to use their discoveries to craft a winning diorama for their tiebreaker challenge.

20:09

🏆 Crafting the Ultimate Cave Diorama

In the final segment, Charlie and Kirby craft their dioramas based on their caving adventure, incorporating elements like stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, and cave animals. They present their creations, which are judged to be a tie, resulting in another draw. Despite the outcome, they celebrate their experience and the knowledge gained about caves. They also discuss the broader implications of their adventure, such as the scientific study of caves (speleology) and the unique species found within these isolated environments.

Keywords

💡Dierama Duel

A 'Dierama Duel' is a playful term coined in the script for a competition where two players face off in a head-to-head craft duel to create the best diorama. The winner of this duel is said to receive fame, fortune, and eternal glory, while the loser loses everything, including their crafting reputation and dignity. This concept is central to the video's theme of friendly competition and creativity, as it sets the stage for the characters to showcase their skills in crafting dioramas of caves.

💡Cave

A 'cave' is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. In the context of the video, caves are the subject of the diorama duel, and the characters explore various types of caves to inspire their creations. The video delves into the formation of caves, their geological features, and the unique ecosystems they support, making 'cave' a fundamental keyword for understanding the educational and adventurous aspects of the video.

💡Lava Cave

A 'lava cave' is formed when the outer surface of lava cools and hardens, but the inside continues to flow, eventually leaving a hollow space when the lava inside dries up. This term is relevant to the video as it introduces one of the types of caves the characters learn about and consider incorporating into their dioramas, showcasing the diversity of cave formations.

💡Sea Cave

A 'sea cave' is created by the constant action of waves eroding the coastline, particularly at the base of cliffs. This keyword is used in the script to describe another type of cave formation that the characters research, adding to the educational content of the video and providing inspiration for their diorama duel.

💡Glacier Cave

A 'glacier cave' is a cave formed within a glacier by the erosive action of melting ice. The script mentions this type of cave to illustrate the various natural processes that can create caves, which is an important aspect of the video's exploration of geological phenomena.

💡Tectonic Cave

A 'tectonic cave' forms due to the movement of tectonic plates, which can create fractures and spaces within the Earth's crust. This keyword is used in the script to highlight the role of geological processes in cave formation, contributing to the video's educational message about the diversity of Earth's landscapes.

💡Limestone Solution Cave

A 'limestone solution cave' is formed when acidic groundwater dissolves marble and limestone over millions of years. This type of cave is featured in the video as the characters explore an actual cave with this formation, providing a real-world example of the geological concepts discussed and a source of inspiration for their dioramas.

💡Stalactite

A 'stalactite' is a type of cave formation that hangs from the ceiling of a cave, formed by the deposition of minerals from dripping water. The script mentions stalactites as part of the cave's geological features, emphasizing the beauty and scientific interest of these natural structures.

💡Stalagmite

A 'stalagmite' is a cave formation that rises from the floor of a cave, formed by the accumulation of minerals deposited by dripping water. The video script uses stalagmites as an example of the types of geological features the characters observe during their cave exploration, which they then incorporate into their dioramas.

💡Flowstone

Flowstone is a type of cave formation created by the flow of water over the cave's walls and floors, leaving deposits of minerals and creating a 'frozen waterfall' appearance. The script introduces flowstone as one of the unique features the characters discover, adding to the educational content about cave geology and providing creative elements for their dioramas.

💡Speleology

Speleology is the scientific study and exploration of caves. This keyword is used in the script to introduce the formal study of caves, which is relevant to the characters' activities as they explore caves for their diorama duel and learn about the geological processes involved in cave formation.

Highlights

Introduction to an underground adventure in Virginia, exploring caves with Charlie and Kirby.

Explanation of a diarama duel, a creative competition with high stakes.

Unexpected tie in the diarama duel leads to an underground cave challenge.

Research on cave types reveals diverse formations: lava caves, sea caves, glacier caves, tectonic caves, and limestone solution caves.

Caving bro tips from Brett and Sebastian emphasize safety and preparation for the cave adventure.

Meeting with cave expert David in Virginia to explore a limestone solution cave.

Education on how limestone solution caves form over millions of years.

Safety tips for cave climbing, emphasizing the use of knees and three points of contact.

Discovery of geological features like stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstone within the cave.

Weird but true fact: 90% of caves are still undiscovered.

Explanation of cave animal classifications: trines, triles, and troglobites.

The impact of white nose syndrome on bat populations and ways to help prevent its spread.

Repelling into a deep, hard-to-reach cave for an ultimate spelunking adventure.

Reflection on the delicate nature of caves and the importance of leaving no trace.

Final diarama duel tiebreaker showcasing the unique features of the explored cave.

Weird but true facts shared at the end, including the largest stalagmite in Cuba and the scientific study of caves called speleology.

Teaser for a new project involving space, hinting at future adventures.

Transcripts

[Music]

hey guys charlie here you know my sister

Kirby hey guys today we're hanging out

underground in Virginia so grab a helmet

and strap on the Hub lamp because it's

time for weird but

[Music]

true

hey guys welcome to HQ we're so glad

you're here all right a few minutes ago

Kirby and I we having a diarama duel

wait you guys don't know what a diarama

duel is this might catch you up a

bit are you ready to

run it's time for a diarama duel two

players face off in a head-to-head CFT

duel to make the best diarama the winner

receives fame fortune and basically

eternal glory the loser loses is

everything The Duel their crafting

reputation and their dignity Stakes are

high we don't mess around here people

but during today's diarama duel

something weird happened we had just

finished up our pieces when it came time

to face judge Casey all right guys let's

see

them W you guys literally made the exact

same thing what like exactly the same

thing to the very tree so it was a tie

but you can't have a diarama duel and

not have a winner it was time for a

tiebreaker we diarama the sky the grass

and everything in between but there was

one place we hadn't

touched we're taking this diarama duel

underground and when you're doing an

underground diarama there's only one way

to bring home the top prize you got to

diarama the heck out of a cave oh yeah

so that's what we're doing today

unraveling the world

of

caves all right Crafters you have 30

minutes to make your diaramas starting

in three 2 1 du okay uh caves caves uh

what do we got here you know what I just

realized C what's up I know absolutely

nothing about caves me neither head over

to HQ for some research Mo back great

let's go all right caves caves oh look

at this there are a bunch of different

kinds of caves who knew let's check it

out the main difference was between all

these caves is how they form lava caves

form when the outer surface of lava

cools but the inside keeps flowing then

the lava inside dries up later and boom

you're left with a

cave when the caves form in the desert

when wind erodes the sides of sandstone

Cliffs sea caves are made the same way

except it's the constant barrage of

waves that form the

cave same with the glacier caves except

it's the glacier melt that erodes away

the

ice tectonic caves form from the

movement of tectonic plates and finally

Limestone solution caves form when

acidic groundwater dissolves marble and

Limestone over millions and millions of

years so we got a lot of options for

diarama Styles here well like where do

we even start oh my gosh David David

David's Charlie friend from Virginia

he's an actual cave expert I'm calling

him right

now

David Charlie how's Virginia Virginia's

great can we come caving yeah absolutely

I can take you caving awesome we'll see

you in five this is perfect all right

Charles question what are we supposed to

pack for this thing uh I have no idea

this might be a good time for some

caving bro tips a little caving 101 from

our friends Brett and

Sebastian sup dudes Brett here alongside

my bro Sebastian salutations so you want

to go caving excellent activity here are

some caving bro tips to help yeah cave

safely always cave with another bro cave

in groups of Bros and let somebody

outside the cave know about your bro

pack caving plants that way if you get

lost got somebody to help you out and

you got some buddies to back up your

sweet cave stories bro we saw bat like

the size of a house bro not lying wao

always carry three light sources with

you I like to carry four a flashlight

two headlamps and my glowing personality

other equipment you need on your bro

person a helmet to protect your bro head

knee pads to protect your little bro

knees and cover OLS cuz caving is a cold

and muddy

business perfect so we know what we need

guys this is great while caving with

David I'm going to find exactly what my

diarama needs to win this thing well you

mean I'll find out exactly what my

diarama needs to win this thing whatever

you want to tell yourself curb let's

pack up and then we'll head out sounds

good good weird but true China has a

population of 1.3 billion and more than

30 million people live in

caves we're headed off to Virginia to

study some caves Old Dominion eight

presidents were born in Virginia more

importantly it's home to thousands of

caves guys check it out that guy down

there that's our buddy David David's

been caving for years we don't know

anyone who knows more about caves than

he does let's go say hi David is a

Marine scientist and a caving guide who

loves exploring underground he's going

to take us to some sweet caves with

really cool features his favorite weird

but true fact is the largest bat Colony

lives in a cave in

Texas it's home to 20 million

bats hey David how's it going man he hey

David hey Kirby oh man we're so excited

for our caving Adventure today yeah you

guys have come to the right place this

is the cave we're going into today what

kind of cave is this this is a limestone

solution cave okay Limestone solution

cave guys that means this ancient

Limestone had cracks in it acidic water

got into those cracks dissolving the

rock forming the cave and all the rock

formations inside should be pretty

awesome so this is going to be pretty

cool right yeah this is my favorite kind

of cave sounds great so uh we're heading

on this so hold on first we got to get

you suited up all righty let's do

[Music]

it check it out one of the coolest

things about caves like this one is that

it took millions and millions and

millions of years for them to form it's

not like an animal just dug a hole or

anything it took a lot of time a lot of

time there's a limestone solution cave

in Wisconsin that's been dated to 400

million years old during this Cave's

lifetime dinosaurs started existing then

became extinct Pangia formed and broke

up humans evolved the internet was

invented and bangs went out of style

came back in style then went out of

style again these caves have seen a

lot ready to go curb I'm so ready all

right helmet's buckled head lamps on

let's go check it out let's

go David leads the way he says that not

far down we'll find some amazing rock

formations but it's no easy trk so he

has a few safety tips for climbing be

careful guys it's slippery remember

three points of contact that it can

include your knee or your butt your butt

is a very good point of contact and your

knees are better than your feet unlike

rock climbing where you use your feet a

lot and caving you use your knees a

lot this cave is incredible there are

passageways of all different

sizes going to be nice and careful on

this down climb it's crazy one minute

you're squeezing in these tiny spaces

and then it opens up into these giant

RS

weird but true cave exploring is also

called

spelunking two things we didn't know

about caves before we got down here

number one it's pretty cold all year

long it stays around 50° the second one

it's really wet but that water is what's

forming the

[Music]

cave all right guys we've been hiking in

the cave for a while and check out this

room that we just uncovered this place

is full of different geological

features so let me give you the basics

of all these formations stag mice like

these guys start from the ground and

grow upwards and stag tights start way

up in the ceiling and they grow

downwards when they meet in the middle

it's called a column like that guy back

there

what this is it's

amazing there are new rock formations

around every Twist and Turn of this cave

this place is huge and they all share

something in

common all of these awesome cave

features are called spelio cool science

were to pull out if you're trying to

impress someone bro love your ponytail

it reminds me of a spelio them cool word

I'm

impressed stag mites and stag tights are

just the beginning we're heading deep

deeper into the cave to discover more

after the break weird but true

scientists estimate that 90% of caves

are still undiscovered due to Hidden

[Music]

entrances welcome back today is all

about caves and we're in a limestone

solution cave exploring spelio thems

which is a general term that refers to

all the cave

features

the coolest thing about spilia thms is

how they form so you guys remember how

solution caves form right acidic

groundwater dissolves the rocks forming

a cave we'll imagine a droplet of this

acidic water hanging from the ceiling of

the cave every time it drips it deposits

a thin film of this stuff called calite

now imagine it dropping from that same

spot every single minute of every single

hour of every single day eventually it

forms this nice little tube which we

call soda straws and they're

basically baby

stalactites as more and more calite is

deposited they grow into stalactites and

this process takes so

long weird but true stag ties can grow 1

in every 100 years so this one is

probably a few thousand years

old stag mites form in the same way

except they form when water drops to the

ground depositing calite so drop after

drop after drop this thing builds up

eventually

forming a stalagmite and these things

can get pretty

huge one of the largest dagm mites in

the world was found in Cuba at about 220

ft tall to show scale this is how big i'

look standing next to it this tag Mite

is a

monster

this might be the weirdest thing that

we've found so far this stuff is called

flow

Stone so you know how stag tights and

stag mites are formed from water

dripping down from the ceiling flowstone

is formed from water that flows over

different rock formations forming what

almost looks like a frozen Rock

waterfall so weird but this is just the

beginning of all the amazing rock

formations you can find in

caves yeah cavers weren't exactly the

most creative when it came to naming

these things not so much it probably

when something like this yo bro look at

this thing looks like a piece of coral

what should we call it what about cave

Coral bro and how about this popcorn

looking stuff what about cave

popcorn bro and how about these rims

made of stuff uh Rim sto

bro

yeah most of these names are very simple

give it to me one more time so stag

tights hold tight to the ceiling and

stag mites might touch the ceiling and

all will be pretty Dynamic features to

add to a diarama as we continue

exploring David reminds us that we're

not alone hey guys keep your voices low

in this area too this is still part of

the bat

hypera when you think of cave animals

bats are probably the first ones you

think of but they're just the beginning

bats are trines trines are animals that

just use caves for things like shelter

other animals are

triles these are animals that can live

in caves for their whole lives but they

can also live in other places too the

final group of cave animals is the

troglobites these animals can only live

inside caves they can't survive outside

of them these animals have some pretty

crazy

adaptations like the Mexican Tetra there

are other types of tetra that live

outside caves in rivers and streams and

they just look like normal fish but the

Mexican Tetra lives inside the cave and

they don't look like normal fish at all

they're albino and have no eyes no eyes

but if you want to see something really

weird you got to check out an M it's an

aquatic salamander that some people

thought was The Offspring of a dragon

but I kind of describe it as a pale

blind oversized worm with tiny little

doll arms and red fluffy gills super

weird looking and since caves can be so

isolated from one another it's not

uncommon for scientists to find new

species inside of

them for example the Moville cave in

Southeastern Romania in 1986 workers on

covered a cave that had been isolated

from the rest of the world for 5.5

million years and researchers found

animals living in there all kinds of

pseudo

scorpions

leeches and rly poly

bugs the kicker 33 of the animals they

found in the cave weren't found anywhere

else in the entire

world sealed up like a present for 5.5

million

[Music]

years we haven't found 33 types of

animals in this cave with David but

check it out we found a bat so that tiny

little animal clean to the wall up there

that's a little brown bat he's super

cute but but I don't want to disturb

them human activity has had a

devastating impact on cave dwelling bats

many colonies have already been lost and

more than half are now endangered or

very close understanding how fragile

they are might make a difference an

important issue to cavers and bat

populations that live in caves that you

got to know about is the white nose

syndrome here's the Scoop one of the

indicators that a has this disease as if

it has a tiny little bit of fluff on his

nose which would be super adorable right

if it weren't so deadly white nose

syndrome was first spotted in New York

around 2006 by 2012 about 80% of the bat

population in the Northeast us had died

from the disease but there are ways you

can help after you go caving wash the

heck out of your clothes that way you

don't accidentally transfer the

disease all right guys time for a break

but next up David's got a super deep

cave for us to go and explore and

there's only one way to get down there

repelling wicked

cool weird but true hang song Doom cave

in Vietnam has an underground river and

[Music]

jungle welcome back David says it's time

for the ultimate spelunking Adventure

some caves you swim into some caves walk

into this cave behind us we're actually

going to drop

into we're going repelling repelling is

basically this practice that cavers use

to get into inaccessible caves in a

super Safe

Way take for example Expeditions in crer

cave the deepest cave in the entire

world located in the country of Georgia

in the Eastern hemisphere in 2012 a team

of over 50 cavers set out on an

Expedition into crer cave trying to get

as deep as possible they repelled down

deep shafts squeezing through tunnels

they even used scuba equipment to find

hidden passageways and parts of the cave

flooded with water just like an Everest

Expedition they set up a base camp along

the way they spent over 3 weeks

underground and by the end had set a new

record they made it

7,28 ft below the surface we aren't

going that deep we're only going about

100 ft down but it's still still going

to be an unreal

experience David drops in first and

shows us how it's done on blet orange

rope and white

rope oh man doing it

[Music]

doing weird but true George Washington

was an avid

caver

woo wow oh this is sick this looks

prehistorically amazing look at how big

this is this is huge you can hear the

dripping

water echoing through the cave there's

no way we could see this from up above

not a

[Music]

chance get over here out of the rock

ball area and then y

offro

offro it's so free

yeah you guys can see it bigles the

light night right there and theow below

it we repelled down to this incredibly

hard-to-reach cave and I can't believe

what we found caves are delicate natural

environments that take millions and

millions of years to develop and change

so professional cavers say take only

pictures and leave only Footprints so

this back here definitely not

cool after a quick exploration it's time

to climb back up to the surface this is

going to be a fun climb

[Applause]

too oh guys that was incredible so cool

there's this huge beam shooting through

the darkness and we could see different

geological features repelling totally

brought it to the next level I can

definitely see why people get into this

before we head out let's go over all the

weird features we discovered today that

we can use for our diarama dual

tiebreaker we got stag tights check stag

mice Che flow Stone check animals Che

repelling check check check I think

that's a caving Adventure completed all

right guys we're going to head over to

HQ but we'll see you in a bit oh man

let's use a

shower guys what's up guys you have 2

minutes left oh my gosh we got to get

Crafting all right guys we got a buckle

down here but stick around for my trophy

ceremony in your dreams Charles weird

but true the scientific study and

exploration of caves is called

speleology 10 seconds ah no time to talk

we got to finish the diaramas drop your

supplies in 3 2 1 drop them done done

time for the presentations I present to

you my diaram titled spio themm and

trosin you got your stag ties still FL

bites glow stone cave popcorn and check

it out there's a cute little bat plan on

there too nice curb I like that little

bat guy Charles I present to you my

caving creation caving right with

troglobites we got some little caving

dudes some guys repelling into a pool

full of Ms and even a Mexican Tetra very

interesting all right case who won yeah

where's my trophy huh I see two great

diaramas here put them together what hey

no questions I'm the judge put them

together

separately these diaramas are great but

together W they create the greatest cave

diarama known to man that's amazing hate

to break it to you guys but it's another

tie I don't even care cuz this cave

diama is sweet yeah me neither and we

got to go to a real cave today what else

did we learn today there's so many weird

but true

things spelunking is another name for

cave exploring there's a stalagmite in

Cuba that's about 220 ft tall isolated

caves can be home to weird species not

found anywhere else in the

world what's up Charles just thinking

here curb about what seems like we got

it all right I mean we did the sky above

ground below ground there's got to be

somewhere we haven't gone yet though

space I've never been to space before no

I me neither but there's nothing we

can't do with some tape and glue let's

get craft and I'll get the supplies

Perfect all right guys looks like we got

a new project on our hands but thanks so

much for stopping by come by again when

we discover more things that are weird

but true we'll see you soon