National Geographic: Mysteries Underground Essay, Research Paper
National Geographic: Mysteries Underground
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).