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L.Dutch ♦
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Maximizing Determining maximum cave depth

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L.Dutch ♦
L.Dutch ♦
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Maximizing cave sizedepth

I am planning on making this planet of caves, and it has cave systems that dwarf Earth's. It's got carbon-based life, a chemical composition rich in copper, a good amount of water, and less gravity than Earth. Example living beings include creatures that roll around to go fast, worms that tunnel through solid rock, and chemoautotrophs that don't need the sun to gather energy and support an environment. 

The surface gravity of the planet is 0.8 g, or 7.85 N/kg. We need multiple types of rock, with strong, lightweight rock to remain stable even after weaker variants of rock are eroded away to make the caves. As with sufficient support, ana cave that's just a few dozen meters from the surface can be indefinitely long, I'd like to know in particular how deep below the surface a natural cave can be on that planet, without collapsing from pressure.

For reference, caves on Earth cannot be more than 3000 m, or 9843 ft, beneath the surface. That's an estimation. But here's a fact before you go: The deepest known cave on Earth is Krubera Cave, which is about 2200 m deep.

Maximizing cave size

I am planning on making this planet of caves, and it has cave systems that dwarf Earth's. It's got carbon-based life, a chemical composition rich in copper, a good amount of water, and less gravity than Earth. Example living beings include creatures that roll around to go fast, worms that tunnel through solid rock, and chemoautotrophs that don't need the sun to gather energy and support an environment. The surface gravity of the planet is .8 g, or 7.85 N/kg. We need multiple types of rock, with strong, lightweight rock to remain stable even after weaker variants of rock are eroded away to make the caves. As with sufficient support, an cave that's just a few dozen meters from the surface can be indefinitely long, I'd like to know in particular how deep below the surface a natural cave can be on that planet, without collapsing from pressure.

For reference, caves on Earth cannot be 3000 m, or 9843 ft, beneath the surface. That's an estimation. But here's a fact before you go: The deepest known cave on Earth is Krubera Cave, which is about 2200 m deep.

Maximizing cave depth

I am planning on making this planet of caves, and it has cave systems that dwarf Earth's. It's got carbon-based life, a chemical composition rich in copper, a good amount of water, and less gravity than Earth. Example living beings include creatures that roll around to go fast, worms that tunnel through solid rock, and chemoautotrophs that don't need the sun to gather energy and support an environment. 

The surface gravity of the planet is 0.8 g, or 7.85 N/kg. We need multiple types of rock, with strong, lightweight rock to remain stable even after weaker variants of rock are eroded away to make the caves. As with sufficient support, a cave that's just a few dozen meters from the surface can be indefinitely long, I'd like to know in particular how deep below the surface a natural cave can be on that planet, without collapsing from pressure.

For reference, caves on Earth cannot be more than 3000 m, or 9843 ft, beneath the surface. That's an estimation. But here's a fact before you go: The deepest known cave on Earth is Krubera Cave, which is about 2200 m deep.

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TysonDennis
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Maximizing cave size

I am planning on making this planet of caves, and it has cave systems that dwarf Earth's. It's got carbon-based life, a chemical composition rich in copper, a good amount of water, and less gravity than Earth. Example living beings include creatures that roll around to go fast, worms that tunnel through solid rock, and chemoautotrophs that don't need the sun to gather energy and support an environment. The surface gravity of the planet is .8 g, or 7.85 N/kg. We need multiple types of rock, with strong, lightweight rock to remain stable even after weaker variants of rock are eroded away to make the caves. As with sufficient support, an cave that's just a few dozen meters from the surface can be indefinitely long, I'd like to know in particular how deep below the surface a natural cave can be on that planet, without collapsing from pressure.

For reference, caves on Earth cannot be 3000 m, or 9843 ft, beneath the surface. That's an estimation. But here's a fact before you go: The deepest known cave on Earth is Krubera Cave, which is about 2200 m deep.