rock shelter

   1. Shallow cave under an overhanging rock ledge. Many sea caves are rock shelters. Also found in limestone and other rock types where streams have undercut their banks at bends, or where there has been abrasion by blowing sand. Common in tropical areas at places where a secondarily hardened layer of limestone forms a ledge that projects over unindurated limestone [10].

   2. A wide but shallow cavity in any rock; in carbonate rock often formed below a noncarbonate layer [20].

   Synonyms: (French.) abri sous roche, balme, baume; (German.) Halbhöhle, weite aber flache Höhle; (Greek.) kataphyion; (Italian.) riparo sotto roccia, androne; (Spanish.) abrigo, balma; (Turkish.) kaya si™ ina™ i; (Yugoslavian.) potkapina, okapina, polupeƒina, spodmol, zijalka.