In Podcast #14 the Virginia Trekkers went to Luray Caverns in the Valley and Ridge region of Virginia.  Find out how these amazing caverns formed, learn the difference between stalactites and stalagmites, discover why the rock formations are different colors, and strain your eyes as you try to see us in the darkness (our video cameras didn’t do too well in the dark).  Come on, let’s go trekkin’! (Trouble viewing the YouTube video? Try Vimeo or direct link). 

Luray caverns was the site of the first air-conditioned home in America.  In 1901 a house called “Limair” was built over Luray Caverns.  It was kept a comfortable 70ºF even on the hottest summer days by using pipes and fans to blow cool air from the caverns into the house.  The reason this worked is because the air inside Luray caverns stays at a constant temperature of 54ºF no matter how hot or cold it is outside.  This is because of the insulation from all the rocks and earth surrounding it. (Image credit)


This is a Google map of Luray Caverns. Use the +/- buttons to zoom in and out.


This is a 360 view inside Luray Caverns. Click the arrows to explore.

Can you find the stalacpipe organ?


This is an old Flash activity about stalactites and stalagmites. We got it to work using Ruffle!

Social Studies

VS.2 (2015) The student will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between physical geography and the lives of the native peoples, past and present, of Virginia by

b) locating and describing Virginia’s Coastal Plain (Tidewater), Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau;


VS.1 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the relationship between physical geography and the lives of Virginia’s peoples, past and present by

b. locating and describing the relative location and physical characteristics of Virginia's five geographic regions on a map; and


Science

5.4 The 4.3 The student will investigate and understand that organisms, including humans, interact with one another and with the nonliving components in the ecosystem. Key ideas include

a) interrelationships exist in populations, communities, and ecosystems;

b) food webs show the flow of energy within an ecosystem;


5.5 The student will investigate and understand that sound can be produced and transmitted. Key ideas include

a) sound is produced when an object or substance vibrates;

b) sound is the transfer of energy;

c) different media transmit sound differently; and

d) sound waves have many uses and applications.


5.8 The student will investigate and understand that Earth constantly changes. Key ideas include

c) the rock cycle models the transformation of rocks;

d) processes such as weathering, erosion, and deposition change the surface of the Earth; and

e) fossils and geologic patterns provide evidence of Earth’s change.