A Lexicon of Cave and Karst Terminology with Special Reference to Environmental Karst Hydrology. Courtesy of the author & The Karst Waters Institute. 2002.
vertical shaft — These are formed by underground water dripping of flowing straight downward through the limestone along vertical cracks. Uniformly distributed dissolution of the rock results in a silo or well shaped passage so that most of them appear roughly … Lexicon of Cave and Karst Terminology
transition zone — 1. Portion of bedrock in the vadose zone that is between the epikarst zone and the phreatic zone, is relatively waterless and unfractured, but is locally breached by discrete percolation points (vadose shafts.) 2. The zone in which the… … Lexicon of Cave and Karst Terminology
ascender — A mechanical device used by cavers who are either ascending or are descending through a vertical opening in a cave (e.g. vadose shaft) that uses a cam to grip a rope while downward pressure is being applied to the device [13]. See also… … Lexicon of Cave and Karst Terminology
canyon passage — 1. A tubular passage (cave) that is formed by underground streams following gently tilted beddingplane partings or fractures and are eroding channels downward through the rock. Their ceiling heights are greater than their widths. They are… … Lexicon of Cave and Karst Terminology
Cave diving — is a type of technical diving in which specialized SCUBA equipment is used to enable the exploration of natural or artificial caves which are at least partially filled with water. It is an extension of the more common sport of caving, but is much … Wikipedia
keyhole passage — ; keyhole 1. This very descriptive name derives from the crosssectional shape of a cave passage that consists of a phreatic tube with a vadose canyon cut in its floor. It is the classic example of a two phase cave passage that originated… … Lexicon of Cave and Karst Terminology
underfit stream — A small stream that flows along a cave passage that was enlarged to its current size by an earlier, larger stream. Commonly underfit streams are found flowing under vadose conditions along the floors of drained phreatic tubes, long abandoned… … Lexicon of Cave and Karst Terminology
Cave — For other uses, see Cave (disambiguation). Cavern redirects here. For other uses, see Cavern (disambiguation). Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to… … Wikipedia
Castleguard Cave — is a limestone cave located at the north end of Banff National Park in the Rocky Mountains of Canada. With 20,357m of surveyed passages (as of 2007), it is Canada’s longest cave, and its fifth deepest at 384m. Castleguard Cave ascends gently from … Wikipedia
