extremophile- An organism adapted to life in
person who has chosen to abandon all loved ones to live a life alone in a hiding
place. burial sites- a grave or place to bury someone or something.
changing or varying.
mine- to dig and search for something.
nitrate- a type of salt
Uses of Caves
Caves have been used as shelter for hermits, religious
people, bats, and Native Americans. Caves have also been used as temples
as well as burial sites, homes and hiding spaces for
bandits. In some countries caves grow mushrooms, or hold cheese and wine
because they have a constant
temperature and no natural light. In Europe people are
studying the use of caves for air conditioning and water supply
purposes. Bat guano has been
mined from caves and has been used to support root
Caves have been and still are being used to get nitrate
salt. We use nitrate salt in making gunpowder. It is believed
in the period 1811 to 1814 over fifteen thousand tons of niter earth
was taken out of Mammoth Cave alone. Niter is potassium nitrate. Caves
have also been used to collect extremophiles
that are being explored as a possible cure for diseases.
Biologist use caves to learn more about the animals that live in caves.
Caves also are shelter (or hiding places) for valuable items. Caves
provided protection from air raids during wars. They were also used as
underground factories. Caves provide us ways to make life easier and still continue to
provide us with valuable resources.