Caves remember the past
Caves are formed progressively in relatively long geological periods and evolve continuously: their history depends on many factors, among which the amount of water (depending mainly on climate), the way in which the latter enters the system, the variations of the base level and of the surface topography. Modifications in the topography can change the hydraulic supply of a cave causing, for example, the transfer of phreatic conduits to vadose zones, or bring about variations in position and functioning of springs, and much more: every modification in the cave surroundings, such as tectonic movements, climatic variations or topographical changes result in modifications within the karst system which tend towards a new equilibrium in the new situation. Hence, caves are not stable and unchanging in time and space and one must always keep in mind that they were formed in topographi and climatic conditions very different from the present ones (for example, caves in the Lombard Prealps started forming a little less than 30 million years ago when the valley presently occupied by Lake Como did not exist and there was a tropical climate with a dense rain forest covering the entire area). Any variation is promptly registered within a cave both as karst features that originated in conditions different from the present ones and as deposits of minerals and sediments that vary depending on the amount of water or on the climate (for example, in many caves in Northern Italy it is possible to find sediments related to the advance of the great glaciers that, during the last 2 million years, have repeatedly scoured the valleys from the Alps). Since on the surface erosion often results in the disappearance of all traces of the geological history of a region, caves, being on the contrary a very conservative environment, are often an important archive of precious geological data. Cavers, who are the only visitors in this environment, are often asked to unearth these data. Hence it is important that cavers should have some geological knowledge to be able to recognise the main karst features and collaborate effectively with speleologists who are engaged in researches in this field.
Special reports
-
16 April 2012
Bats, The Lords of Darkness
The UNEP Convention on Migratory Species and The Agreement on the Conservation of...
11 June 2012
Bats, facts and fiction
In ancient Rome, bats were nailed to the door of the house as a protection from witches...
-
13 May 2013
Small steps, great footprints
Have you ever wondered how much space is taken up by an apple or a steak?...
-
28 August 2020
The Earth seen from above: signs of fires
This image was taken by the ASTER sensor installed on the NASA TERRA satellite platform. The image was taken on…
15 July 2020
Earth viewed from above
Remote satellite sensing: what it is and what it is used for In the scientific field, the images produced by…
30 April 2019
Urban woods
When walking along a tree-lined avenue in a crowded and traffic-congested city, wrapped up in our daily commitments, we do…
-
16 April 2012
Bats, The Lords of Darkness
The UNEP Convention on Migratory Species and The Agreement on the Conservation of...
11 June 2012
Bats, facts and fiction
In ancient Rome, bats were nailed to the door of the house as a protection from witches...
-
13 May 2013
Small steps, great footprints
Have you ever wondered how much space is taken up by an apple or a steak?...
-
16 April 2012
Bats, The Lords of Darkness
The UNEP Convention on Migratory Species and The Agreement on the Conservation of...
-
11 June 2012
Bats, facts and fiction
In ancient Rome, bats were nailed to the door of the house as a protection from witches...
From the Multimedia section
Facts
-
Can you breathe in a cave?
One of the most common beliefs is that in caves the air is often stuffy...
-
And in underground tunnels?
There are groups of terrestrial animals that eat insects, worms and other invertebrates...
The climate underground
Going down deep in the Earth’s crust, the temperatures increase gradually...
-
Volcanic activity of Vesuvio
One of the most famous volcanic disasters was the eruption of Vesuvio in 79 A.D....
A small domestic experiment
In order to understand the number of factors that make a water undersaturated or...
-
Can you breathe in a cave?
One of the most common beliefs is that in caves the air is often stuffy...
-
24 February 2011
And in underground tunnels?
There are groups of terrestrial animals that eat insects, worms and other invertebrates...
13 May 2011
The climate underground
Going down deep in the Earth’s crust, the temperatures increase gradually...
-
Can you breathe in a cave?
One of the most common beliefs is that in caves the air is often stuffy...