Spring Creek Cave is a cave in Kendall County, near Boerne, Texas, that is not open to the public. It is known for its fossil specimens and a three-mile-long underground river, which sometimes floods out into Spring Creek after heavy rains. [1] [2] [3]
Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, as well as their composition, structure, physical properties, history, ecology, and the processes by which they form (speleogenesis) and change over time (speleomorphology). The term speleology is also sometimes applied to the recreational activity of exploring caves, but this is more properly known as caving, potholing, or spelunking. Speleology and caving are often connected, as the physical skills required for in situ study are the same.
Sheck Exley was an American cave diver. He is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of cave diving, and he wrote two major books on the subject: Basic Cave Diving: A Blueprint for Survival and Caverns Measureless to Man. On February 6, 1974, Exley became the first chairman of the Cave Diving Section of the American National Speleological Society. During his career, he established many of the basic safety procedures used in cave and overhead diving today. Exley was also a pioneer of extreme deep scuba diving.
The National Speleological Society (NSS) is an organization formed in 1941 to advance the exploration, conservation, study, and understanding of caves in the United States. Originally headquartered in Washington D.C., its current offices are in Huntsville, Alabama. The organization engages in the research and scientific study, restoration, exploration, and protection of caves. It has more than 10,000 members in more than 250 grottos.
Harwoods Hole is a cave system located in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand, in the Abel Tasman National Park. At 183 metres (600 ft), it is New Zealand's deepest vertical shaft. It was first explored in 1958, long after it was discovered.
Flowstones are sheetlike deposits of calcite or other carbonate minerals, formed where water flows down the walls or along the floors of a cave. They are typically found in "solution caves", in limestone, where they are the most common speleothem. However, they may form in any type of cave where water enters that has picked up dissolved minerals. Flowstones are formed via the degassing of vadose percolation waters.
Colorado Bend State Park is a 5,328.3-acre (2,156 ha) state park located in the Hill Country region of the U.S. state of Texas, mostly in San Saba County. It was purchased by the state in 1984 and opened to the public in 1987. It is representative of the karst features typically seen in the Hill Country, with many sinkholes, caves, and springs.
The Southeastern Cave Conservancy (SCCi) is a United States not-for-profit corporation dedicated to cave conservation, caver education, and cave management. It was formed in 1991 by a group of southeastern United States cavers. The SCCi is an institutional member of the National Speleological Society.
EGMA Sinkhole, a.k.a. Peynirlikönü Sinkhole, is a sinkhole and the deepest cave in Turkey. It is located at Sugözü village of Anamur, Mersin. The sinkhole is 1,429 m (4,688 ft) deep and 3,118 m (10,230 ft) long. EGMA is an acronym that stands for Evren Günay - Mehmet Ali Özel.
The Victorian Speleological Association Inc. (VSA) was created in 1967 by the merger of the Victorian Cave Exploration Society (1957) and the Sub Aqua Speleological Society (1960). It is a member of the Australian Speleological Federation (ASF) which is in turn part of the International Union of Speleology. The Association aims to explore and chart the extensive cave systems in Victoria (Australia) and elsewhere, represent the interests of Victorian cavers to the relevant authorities and to encourage the preservation of caves in their natural state. There are over 800 caves in Victoria, many of them on private property. In addition to its exploration, campaigning and conservation work the Association's members oversee recreational expeditions underground for the general public.
The Sinks of Gandy — also called the Sinks of Gandy Creek, or simply "The Sinks" — are a modestly celebrated cave and underground stream at Osceola in eastern Randolph County, West Virginia, United States. The Sinks are on private property within the Monongahela National Forest.
The Quintana Roo Speleological Survey (QRSS) was established in 1990 for the safe exploration, survey and cartography of the underwater and dry caves and cenotes of Quintana Roo, Mexico, supported by the National Speleological Society.
Agnes Milowka was an Australian technical diver, underwater photographer, author, maritime archaeologist and cave explorer. She gained international recognition for penetrating deeper than previous explorers into cave systems across Australia and Florida, and as a public speaker and author on the subjects of diving and maritime archaeology. She died aged 29 while diving in a confined space.
The Butler Cave Conservation Society (BCCS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Virginia corporation dedicated to the conservation, exploration, survey, preservation, and scientific study of the caves and karst in and around Burnsville Cove, Virginia.
Airman's Cave is a cave located adjacent to the portion of Barton Creek located in Travis County in south Austin, Texas. The cave is 3,444 metres (11,299 ft) long, and characterized by long crawls and tight passages. It lies inside the Barton Creek Greenbelt public park and is managed by the City of Austin's Parks and Recreation Department.
The Beaver Valley Rock Shelter Site is the only formally recognized cave in the US state of Delaware. It is located in New Castle County near Wilmington and the state line with Pennsylvania.
The Cliefden Caves is a heritage-listed geoheritage site at Mandurama, in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The caves comprise Ordovician fossil localities, limestone caves, a spring and tufa dams, and a site where limestone was first discovered in inland Australia.
Charles William (Bill) Steele, Jr. is a cave explorer and speleologist who has led and participated in expeditions to many of the longest and deepest caves in the USA, Mexico, and China. He has explored hundreds of caves across North America and Asia and has written two books chronicling his expeditions: Yochib: The River Cave, and Huautla: Thirty Years in One of the World's Deepest Caves. TV shows such as National Geographic Explorer, NOVA and How’d They Do That? have aired programs on his expeditions.
Sistema Huautla is a cave system in the Sierra Mazateca mountains of the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. As of April 2021 it is the deepest cave system in the Western Hemisphere, 1,560 metres (5,120 ft) from top to bottom, with over 55 miles of mapped passageways. It is the tenth deepest cave in the world. It is also the 26th longest cave system with over 100 km length.
Potrero Creek is a minor waterway of Riverside County, California in the United States. Potrero Creek has a 5-mile (8.0 km)-long course and flows south through the San Jacinto River basin. Potrero Creek drains about 35 square miles (91 km2) of the San Jacinto Mountains. Potrero joins the San Jacinto River near California State Route 79, at Gilman Hot Springs, California. There are reportedly a small group of cave shelters along Potrero Creek in Massacre Canyon, south of Beaumont, on what was called the Stanton Ranch in 1962. Massacre Canyon supposedly gets its name from a battle that took place around 1540, when Temecula people massacred defenders of a village of the tribe now known as the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians, which was called Ivah and was located at what is now Gilman Hot Springs, California.