Climate |
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Caves are found in in every climatic zone in the world including in the Arctic and Antarctic where the temperature averages - 10 degrees Celsius. For example there are many glacial caves within the Arctic circle like the Setergrotta and Grønligrotta and the Marmorslottet (the Marble Castle) which are in Norway. By contrast, some caves such as those in Mexico and Central America are in tropical regions. Mexico's Cueva de los Cristales (Cave of Crystals) contains some of the world's largest known natural crystals. These are made of gypsum and are up to 11 metres long. Temperatures in the cave averaged 58 degrees Celsius which enables the crystals to grow. Because caves are found in so many different places, the average temperature in a land cave is 12.778 degrees Celsius . There is no average cave rain fall because the caves are protected from the rain. This does not mean that caves do not have water. Many caves such as those in Yucatan in Central America or under the Nullabor Plain in Australia have become filled with water after heavy rain or flood. Caves are a great place to live because in the Summer when it is hot the cave is colder than the outside temperature but in Winter the cave is warmer than the outside temperature. |