Abstract:

Of the many objects of scientific interest, caves present a unique challenge because, except for entrance areas, caves are largely hidden from view. As a consequence,caves have not generally attracted the attention of mainstream scientists. With the exception of cave entrances noted on some topographic maps, most caves are not apparent from topographic maps, satellite and LANDSAT imagery, or aerial photographs. Caves and their features exist in an environment with no natural light and contain a myriad of physical and psychological obstacles. It is the cave explorer who ventures past these obstacles, motivated by curiosity and the desire to find and document places previously unknown. Systematic cave exploration is a two-fold process that involves the physical pursuit and discovery of caves and cave systems, and field documentation that provides baseline data in the form of cave survey data and notes, cave entrance and cave/karst feature locations and inventories, written observations, and photo-documentation. These data are synthesized into cave maps, topographic overlays,narrative descriptions, and reports that serve as exploration tools for finding more passages and caves. Systematic documentation and its derivative products also bring the hidden nature of caves and their features to the attention of scientists and provide a basis not only for cave-related research but for a wide range of related scientific endeavors.