What is a Speleologist interested in?

Speleologists study caves and other features of karst topographies, which are areas of soluble rock that have been excavated by underground water systems.

What does a Speleologist study?

Definition of speleology

: the scientific study or exploration of caves.

How do you become a speleologist?

What Are the Education Requirements to Become a Speleologist? Speleology requires the student to develop a broad set of scientific skills. High School students should ensure they develop good grades in the hard sciences (physics, chemistry and biology) and math, but geography will also be vital to further study.

What do spelunkers see in caves?

Inside the cave, spelunking enthusiasts can see thin and exquisite calcite formations called popcorn, honeycomb, boxwork, and frostwork. The cave is full of unexplored areas. It's believed that only 10% of its passages have been discovered so far.

What activity is known as spelunking?

Spelunking (also known as caving) is the recreational exploration of caves. The difficulty level and danger, not unlike hiking or rock climbing, varies widely. On one end of the spectrum, there are certainly family-friendly caves that can be walked through leisurely, or even on a guided tour, using a paved path.

What geologic formations would interest a speleologist?

What do cavers do?

Caving, potholing and spelunking are essentially the same thing. In short, it's an adventurous activity all about exploring underground caves and caverns.

What is Speleologist?

someone who studies caves, or who climbs in them for sport. Hiking & orienteering. backpacker. bushwalking. cairn.

Can you drink cave water?

Don't drink cave water. Bring enough water that it will last beyond the estimated length of your expedition. Pack high-energy foods that can survive the tight confines of a cave.

Is spelunking scary?

With its narrow passages, flowing streams, and chambers studded with stalagmites and stalactites, Cascade is a caver's dream. But for the novice spelunker, it can turn into a nightmare.

Are caves safe to sleep in?

Never cave alone

Caves can be dangerous. Whether you're just walking around or sleeping, unexpected things can and do happen all the time. You won't have cell phone service so forget about calling rescue teams. The only people that can help are the people you're with on this adventure.

Is cave exploring a job?

For Mother Nature, however, it's caves – and when you're a Speleologist, it's your job to explore them. Because speleology is a cross-disciplinary field that combines several scientific areas of study, your background might be that of a Chemist, Biologist, Geologist, Hydrologist, or Cartographer.

How do I become a caver?

The most common, and generally accepted standard process to start caving is to begin by finding a grotto (caving club) near where you live, contact an officer of that grotto or attend a meeting, and express an interest in going on a “beginner” caving trip.

Why do people study caves?

Knowledge of caves and karst processes is vitally important for protecting our water supplies from pollution and overuse, and for understanding how water flows through karst aquifers. Caves are a fantastic resource, enabling hydrogeologists to access karst groundwater systems and to study them from within.

What is an expert on caves called?

The study of caves is called speleology. A scientist who studies them is a speleologist.

What is the study of caves?

The scientific study of caves is called speleology (from the Greek words spelaion for cave and logos for study). It is a composite science based on geology, hydrology, biology, and archaeology, and thus holds special interest for earth scientists of the U.S. Geological Survey.

What is fun about spelunking?

Whatever terms you use, caves are fun to explore and provide the potential for great adventures. Across the U.S., there are thousands upon thousands of caves. Over 100 of them are open to the public for guided tours. If you want to become a caver, the best place to start is by taking guided tours at nearby caves.

How many people have died stuck in a cave?

Since 1994, an average of 6.4 people have died each year in the United States in cave-related accidents. More than half of those deaths involved cave divers.

Is spelunking a sport?

Nothing unleashes your inner Batman faster than spelunking – a global sport also known as caving. This increasingly popular recreational activity has you explore caves or grottos, as you walk, climb, squeeze and crawl your way through tight passages.

What do caves smell like?

The high levels of sulfur that create the gas in Colorado's Sulphur Cave come from deep within the earth. The cave is formed in travertine, a type of stone formed by deposits from streams and mineral springs. Hydrogen sulfide gas, which gives the cave its rotten-egg smell, can be deadly at high concentrations.

Can you light a fire in a cave?

Never build a fire under a rock overhang or in a cave. The heat could cause the rock to expand, with sections cracking and breaking, and possibly falling down on you and your fire.

Do caves ever collapse?

The caves can be small or very large, and can be shallow or deep below the surface. The collapse can occur abruptly, taking mere seconds, or it can take many decades, slowly forming depressions.

What are speleothems made of?

Speleothems are primarily composed of calcium carbonate, precipitated from groundwater that has percolated through the adjacent carbonate host rock.

Who invented spelunking?

Clay Perry, an American caver of the 1940s, wrote about a group of men and boys who explored and studied caves throughout New England. This group referred to themselves as spelunkers, a term derived from the Latin spēlunca ("cave, cavern, den"), itself from the Greek σπῆλυγξ spēlynks ("cave").

Why do I love caves?

The appeal of caves is, obviously, primal. They offer, in their darkness, both an instant physical reward – shelter – and something more metaphysical. For as many millenniums as there have been humans, caves seem to have been considered a contact zone with the magical, the otherworldly, the irrational, the unconscious.