Most Popular Papers *
New evidence of mid-Pleistocene glaciations in the French Jura Mountains using debris flow deposits and U/Th dating of speleothems (Verneau karst network)
Margot Vivier, Stéphane Jaillet, Eglantine Husson, Edwige Pons Branchu, and Jean-Baptiste Charlier
- Debris deposits are associated with ancient fluvio-glacial flows of Rissian glaciation
- Laminated clay deposits indicate ancient flooding in the karst system
- Speleothems surround detrital deposits and link them to the Riss (MIS 8-6)
The dissolution and conversion of gypsum and anhydrite
Alexander Klimchouk
A cave in Miocene conglomerate: the Törökpince-Abaliget cave system, Hungary
Krisztina Sebe, Piroska Pazonyi, Márton Bauer, Bálint Szappanos, Márton Szabó, Zoltán Szentesi, Mihály Gasparik, Ákos Juhász, Luca Pandolfi, Máté Gregorits, József Haász, Ágnes Novothny, and Zsófia Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger
- A 536 m-long through cave segment developed in Miocene conglomerates
- Cave development through dissolution, collapse, and granular disintegration
- Rich Miocene, Pleistocene, and Holocene vertebrate fossil assemblage
- A cave minimum age of 0.8-0.7 Ma, potentially reaching several Ma
- A rich archive of – partly syn-sedimentary – tectonic features
Why the delay in recognizing terrestrial obligate cave species in the tropics?
Francis G. Howarth
- Several factors explain why the discovery of tropical troglobionts was delayed
- Temperature and humidity are major factors in defining troglobiont distribution
- Troglobionts evolve by an adaptive shift across a cave/surface ecotonal boundary
- Subterranean species and ecosystems are vulnerable and threatened by novel stressors
- Research in tropical caves has expanded our understanding of evolutionary ecology of cave life
A world review of fungi, yeasts, and slime molds in caves
Karen J. Vanderwolf, David Malloch, Donald F. McAlpine, and Graham J. Forbes
Measurements of water-film thickness on cave walls and speleothems
Alexandre Honiat, Salaheddine Skali-Lami, François Bourges, and Bruno Lartiges
- Cave wall water-films typically measure between 25 and 70 µm
- On active speleothems, films reach 200–300 µm in thickness
- A confocal optical sensor enabled precise in-situ measurements
- High-frequency monitoring captured rapid film thickness variations
- The method was successfully applied in multiple prehistoric caves
Non-destructive characterization of variously colored gypsum and aragonite/calcite speleothems from the Cigalère Cave (Ariège, France)
Martin Vlieghe, Johan Wouters, Gérald Fanuel, Jean-François Drion du Chapois, Anne Gallez, Stéphane Pire-Stevenne, Gaëtan Rochez, and Johan Yans
- Portable X-ray fluorescence allows non-destructive elemental analysis in the field
- Designated calibration greatly increases accuracy and reproducibility
- Detection of Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb, and Cu, responsible for the various colorations
- Metals and sulphate ions likely originate from the overlying Pb-Zn sulfide ores
Siliciclastic cave or diamond mine? Multiapproach investigation in Igatu Village, Chapada Diamantina, northeastern Brazil
Raphael Parra, Ricardo G. F. de A. Pereira, Leonardo F. Vieira, and Rubson P. Maia
- Canal da Fumaça is a mined cave, preserving both natural and anthropogenic features
- Metasandstone karstification occurs mainly through phyllosilicate matrix dissolution
- Fracture planes and lithology variety guided the karstification processes
- Mining increased the dimensions of the cave, enlarging conduits and excavating new ones
- An evolution model was proposed, based on a significant data set
4D flow pattern of the longest cave in the Eastern Alps (Schönberg-Höhlensystem, Totes Gebirge)
Lukas Plan, Eva Kaminsky, Pauline Oberender, Clemens Tenreiter, and Maximilian Wimmer
- Speleogenesis of a 156 km long and 1061 m deep Alpine cave system is studied
- Arrangement of passages at two slightly inclined planes is confirmed as speleogenetic phases
- Morphological observations reveal a reversal of flow-direction through time
- According to current hydrological conditions, a dual flow is proposed
- Unlike other karst massifs in the NCA, sediments support autogenic recharge for Totes Gebirge
The affordable DIY Mandeye LiDAR system for surveying caves, and how to convert 3D clouds into traditional cave ground plans and extended profiles
Loris Redovniković, Antun Jakopec, Janusz Będkowski, and Jurica Jagetić
- Low-cost LiDAR enables precise, accessible cave mapping
- Open-source tools streamline cave surveying workflows
- Mobile mapping provides detailed, reproducible cave models
- Automation simplifies generating cave ground plans and profiles
- Community-driven innovation advances speleological research
* Based on the average number of full-text downloads per day since the paper was posted.
» Updated as of 12/25/25.
