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).