Subterranean river

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A subterranean river in the Cross Cave system of Slovenia. (Scale shown by people in photograph.) Burger OtokKriznaJama.jpg
A subterranean river in the Cross Cave system of Slovenia. (Scale shown by people in photograph.)

A subterranean river is a river or watercourse that runs wholly or partly beneath the ground, one where the riverbed does not represent the surface of the Earth. It is distinct from an aquifer, which may flow like a river but is contained within a permeable layer of rock or other unconsolidated materials. A river flowing below ground level in an open gorge is not classed as subterranean. [1]

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Some natural rivers may be entirely subterranean, collecting in and flowing through cave systems. In karst topography, rivers that originate above ground can disappear into sinkholes, continuing underground until they reappear on the surface downstream, possibly having merged with other subterranean rivers. The longest subterranean river in the world is the Sistema Sac Actun cave system in Mexico. [2]

Subterranean rivers can also be the result of covering over a river or diverting its flow into culverts, usually as part of urban development. [3] Reversing this process is known as "daylighting" a watercourse and is a major form of visible river restoration. Successful examples include the Cheonggyecheon in the centre of Seoul. [4] [5]

Some fish (colloquially known as cavefish) and other troglobite organisms are adapted to life in subterranean rivers and lakes. [6]

Examples of subterranean rivers also occur in mythology and literature.

Natural examples

The cave of source of the Buna can be entered by boat and dived through a cave system serving as an effluence of the Zalomka. Buna source.jpg
The cave of source of the Buna can be entered by boat and dived through a cave system serving as an effluence of the Zalomka.
The Puerto Princesa cave can be entered by boat. Caves entranceexit.jpg
The Puerto Princesa cave can be entered by boat.
Devil's Throat Cave subterranean river from above La chute d'entree de la Gorge du Diable.jpg
Devil's Throat Cave subterranean river from above

There are many natural examples of subterranean rivers. Among them:

Artificial examples

The Effra is one of the subterranean rivers of London. It empties into the Thames by Vauxhall Bridge, from which this photograph was taken. Effra vauxhall 2.jpg
The Effra is one of the subterranean rivers of London. It empties into the Thames by Vauxhall Bridge, from which this photograph was taken.

In many cities there are natural streams which have been partially or entirely built over. Such man-made examples of subterranean urban streams are too numerous to list, but notable examples include:

Ecology

Some fish (popularly known as cavefish) and other troglobite organisms are adapted to life in subterranean rivers and lakes.

Mythology and literature

In Dante's Inferno, Charon ferries souls across the subterranean river Acheron. Gustave Dore - Dante Alighieri - Inferno - Plate 9 (Canto III - Charon).jpg
In Dante's Inferno , Charon ferries souls across the subterranean river Acheron.

Greek mythology included the Styx, Phlegethon, Acheron, Cocytus, and Lethe as rivers within the Underworld. Dante Alighieri, in his Inferno , included the Acheron, Phlegethon, and Styx as rivers within his subterranean Hell. Similar references were made in John Milton's Paradise Lost . The river Alph, running "Through caverns measureless to man / Down to a sunless sea" is central to the poem Kubla Khan, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

The characters in Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth encounter a subterranean river:

"Hans was not mistaken," he said. "What you hear is the rushing of a torrent."

"A torrent?" I exclaimed.

"There can be no doubt; a subterranean river is flowing around us." [12]

Several other novels also feature subterranean rivers. [3] The subterranean rivers of London feature in the novel Drowning Man by Michael Robotham as well as in the novel Thrones, Dominations by Dorothy L. Sayers and Jill Paton Walsh in which a character remarks:

"You can bury them deep under, sir; you can bind them in tunnels, but in the end where a river has been, a river will always be." [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cave</span> Natural underground space large enough for a human to enter

A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word cave can refer to smaller openings such as sea caves, rock shelters, and grottos, that extend a relatively short distance into the rock and they are called exogene caves. Caves which extend further underground than the opening is wide are called endogene caves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karst</span> Topography from dissolved soluble rocks

Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. More weathering-resistant rocks, such as quartzite, can also occur, given the right conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amblyopsidae</span> Family of fishes

The Amblyopsidae are a fish family commonly referred to as cavefish, blindfish, or swampfish. They are small freshwater fish found in the dark environments of caves, springs and swamps in the eastern half of the United States. Like other troglobites, most amblyopsids exhibit adaptations to these dark environments, including the lack of functional eyes and the absence of pigmentation. More than 200 species of cavefishes are known, but only six of these are in the family Amblyopsidae. One of these, Forbesichthys agassizii, spends time both underground and aboveground. A seventh species in this family, Chologaster cornuta, is not a cave-dweller but lives in aboveground swamps.

In Greek mythology, the river Phlegethon or Pyriphlegethon was one of the five rivers in the infernal regions of the underworld, along with the rivers Styx, Lethe, Cocytus, and Acheron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marble Arch Caves</span> Limestone caves in Northern Ireland

The Marble Arch Caves are a series of natural limestone caves located near the village of Florencecourt in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The caves are named after the nearby Marble Arch, a natural limestone arch at the upstream end of Cladagh Glen under which the Cladagh River flows. The caves are formed from three rivers draining off the northern slopes of Cuilcagh mountain, which combine underground to form the Cladagh. On the surface, the river emerges from the largest karst resurgence in Ireland, and one of the largest in the United Kingdom. At 11.5 kilometres (7.1 mi) the Marble Arch Caves form the longest known cave system in Northern Ireland, and the karst is considered to be among the finest in the British Isles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Troglofauna</span> Species that lives in caves and similar subterranean environments

Troglofauna are small cave-dwelling animals that have adapted to their dark surroundings. Troglofauna and stygofauna are the two types of subterranean fauna. Both are associated with subterranean environments – troglofauna are associated with caves and spaces above the water table and stygofauna with water. Troglofaunal species include spiders, insects, myriapods and others. Some troglofauna live permanently underground and cannot survive outside the cave environment. Troglofauna adaptations and characteristics include a heightened sense of hearing, touch and smell. Loss of under-used senses is apparent in the lack of pigmentation as well as eyesight in most troglofauna. Troglofauna insects may exhibit a lack of wings and longer appendages.

A losing stream, disappearing stream, influent stream or sinking river is a stream or river that loses water as it flows downstream. The water infiltrates into the ground recharging the local groundwater, because the water table is below the bottom of the stream channel. This is the opposite of a more common gaining stream which increases in water volume farther downstream as it gains water from the local aquifer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subterranea (geography)</span>

Subterranea are underground structures, both natural and human-made. Some subterranea and related topics include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punkva</span> River in South Moravia, Czech Republic

Punkva is a 29 km (18 mi) long river in South Moravia, Czech Republic. It is a Subterranean river in the Moravian Karst and a left tributary of the Svitava. It is the longest underground river in the Czech Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reka (river)</span> River in Croatia, Slovenia

The Reka, also the Inner Carniola Reka, is a river that starts as Big Creek in Croatia, on the southern side of Mount Snežnik, and flows through western Slovenia, where it is also initially known as Big Creek. The river is 54 km (34 mi) long, of which 51 km (32 mi) is in Slovenia. At the village of Škocjan it disappears underground through Škocjan Caves, flowing 38 km (24 mi) underneath the Slovenian Karst. The river continues as part of the Timavo in Italy. Tracer studies have shown that it also feeds springs elsewhere on the Adriatic Coast between Trieste and Monfalcone. It has a pluvial regime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ponor</span>

A ponor is a natural opening where surface water enters into underground passages; they may be found in karst landscapes where the geology and the geomorphology is typically dominated by porous limestone rock. Ponors can drain stream or lake water continuously or can at times work as springs, similar to estavelles. Morphologically, ponors come in forms of large pits and caves, large fissures and caverns, networks of smaller cracks, and sedimentary, alluvial drains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Underground lake</span> Lake under the Earths surface

An underground lake or subterranean lake is a lake underneath the surface of the Earth. Most naturally occurring underground lakes are found in areas of karst topography, where limestone or other soluble rock has been weathered away, leaving a cave where water can flow and accumulate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Cladagh</span> River in Northern Ireland, part of the Erne system

The Cladagh River is a small river in County Fermanagh, formed from three rivers and a number of streams draining off the northern slopes of Cuilcagh mountain, which combine underground in the Marble Arch Cave system. On the surface, the River Cladagh emerges from one of the largest karst resurgences in the UK, before flowing through Cladagh Glen Nature Reserve and eventually draining into the Arney River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mostarska Bijela</span> River in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mostarska Bijela or simply Bijela is a mountain creek and gorge in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite its low discharge and relatively short flow, this river takes a significant place in Bosnia and Herzegovina's Dinaric karst's geology and hydrology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timavo</span> River in Italy

The Timavo River, known in Slovene as the Timava or Timav, is a two-kilometre stream in the Province of Trieste. It has four sources near San Giovanni near Duino and outflows in the Gulf of Panzano 3 kilometres (2 mi) southeast of Monfalcone, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Škocjan Caves</span> Cave system in Slovenia

Škocjan Caves is a cave system located in Slovenia. Recognized for its exceptional significance, Škocjan Caves was included on UNESCO’s list of natural and cultural World Heritage Sites in 1986. The international scientific community has acknowledged the caves as one of the planet Earth's natural treasures. Renowned as one of the most important caves in the world, Škocjan Caves is a significant underground phenomenon on the Karst Plateau and in Slovenia. After gaining independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, Slovenia made a commitment to actively protect the Škocjan Caves area. To fulfill this commitment, Škocjan Caves Regional Park was established, along with its managing authority, the Škocjan Caves Park Public Service Agency.

Škocjan Caves Regional Park is located in the Škocjan Karst, a vast flat landscape that lies at an elevation between 420 and 450 m in the southeast part of the Karst area. Following its independence, the Slovenia committed itself to protecting the Škocjan Caves area; for this reason, it established Škocjan Caves Regional Park and its managing authority, the Škocjan Caves Park Public Service Agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ombla</span> River in Croatia

The Ombla is a short river in Croatia, northeast of Dubrovnik. Its course is approximately 30 metres long, and it empties into the Rijeka Dubrovačka, ria formed by the Adriatic Sea near Komolac in Dubrovnik-Neretva County. Rijeka Dubrovačka is actually a ria, a flooded river valley formed through changes in sea surface elevation on a geologic time scale. The river rises as a karst spring fed by groundwater replenished by Trebišnjica, which is an influent stream flowing in Popovo Polje, in the immediate hinterland of the Ombla. The elevation difference between the river's source and its mouth is just over 2 metres. The average discharge of the river is 24.1 cubic metres per second. The drainage basin of the Ombla encompasses 600 square kilometres and, besides the short surface course, includes only groundwater flow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zalomka</span> River in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Zalomka is a karstic river in the southern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and as part of the Neretva river system it is one of the largest sinking rivers in the country and Dinarides. It rises under the Morine plateau, near Brajićevići village in Gacko municipality, but also collects its upper course waters from Gatačko Polje.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Karst</span> Limestone karst landscape located in the northern part of Puerto Rico

The Northern Karst is a limestone karst landscape located in the northern part of Puerto Rico. A karst is a topographical zone formed by the dissolution of soluble porous rocks, such as limestone, with features such as mogotes, canyons, caves, sinkholes, streams and rivers, all of which are common on this region of the island. Some of the island's main rivers, including its longest, traverse the karst and form some of the most distinctive Puerto Rican geographical features such as the Camuy caverns. Many of these rivers feed into and are important in the formation of many marshy areas such as the Caño Tiburones wetlands.

References

  1. William Herbert Hobbs, Earth Features and Their Meaning: An Introduction to Geology for the Student and the General Reader, Macmillan, 1912, pages 182 and 189.
  2. "Underwater cave is the world’s biggest", Mexico Daily News, January 15, 2018, https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/underwater-cave-is-worlds-biggest/
  3. 1 2 Richard J. Heggen: Underground Rivers from the River Styx to the Rio San Buenaventura with Occasional Diversions Archived 2016-07-21 at the Wayback Machine , University of New Mexico.
  4. Revkin, Andrew C. (16 July 2009). "Rolling Back Pavement to Expose Watery Havens". New York Times . Retrieved 16 March 2010.
  5. Kirk, Donald (2005-10-13). "Seoul peels back concrete to let a river run freely once again". World>Asia Pacific. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2006-08-21.
  6. William B. White and David C. Culver (eds), Encyclopedia of Caves, 2nd ed, Academic Press, 2012, ISBN   0123838339, p. 468.
  7. "Devon Karst: Karst of the Dinaric Alps - the Dinarides in Bosnia and Herzegovina". devonkarst.org.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  8. "Devon Karst: Gatačko Polje - GP-Ponor Dobrelji". devonkarst.org.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  9. "Parque de las Cavernas del Río Camuy - Video Guide - Camuy, Puerto Rico - EyeTour.com". places.eyetour.com.
  10. "Administrative Order No. 29, s. 2012 - GOVPH". officialgazette.gov.ph. 5 September 2012.
  11. ALEXANDER, PAUL B. (1970). "The Reka-Timavo River System of the Yugoslavian and Italian Karst". Yearbook of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers. 32: 157–165. ISSN   0066-9628. JSTOR   24041059.
  12. Jules Verne, Journey to the Center of the Earth , translated by Frederick Amadeus Malleson, 1877, at Project Gutenberg.
  13. Dorothy L. Sayers and Jill Paton Walsh, Thrones, Dominations , Hodder and Stoughton, 1998, p. 313.