Subterranean waterfall

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Ruby Falls is an underground waterfall within a cave in Tennessee, USA Ruby Falls.JPG
Ruby Falls is an underground waterfall within a cave in Tennessee, USA

A subterranean waterfall or underground waterfall is a waterfall located underground, usually in a cave or mine. [1] They are a common feature in cave systems where there are vertical or near vertical geological structures for the weathering process to exploit, and sufficient gradient between the sink and the rising. [2] [3] The highest known subterranean waterfall is in Vrtoglavica Cave in Slovenia, and is at least 400 metres (1,300 ft). [4] Renowned examples include Ruby Falls, 44 metres (144 ft) high, in Lookout Mountain Caverns, a show cave in Tennessee [5] and Gaping Gill in the Yorkshire Dales, UK with a fall of 98 metres (322 ft).

Gaping Gill chamber with the waterfall in the background. Gaping Gill main chamber - geograph.org.uk - 227709.jpg
Gaping Gill chamber with the waterfall in the background.





See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yordas Cave</span> Cave in North Yorkshire, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swinsto Cave</span> Cave in North Yorkshire, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Kin East Cave - Rift Pot System</span> Cave system in North Yorkshire, England

The Long Kin East Cave - Rift Pot system is a limestone cave system on the southern flanks of Ingleborough, North Yorkshire in England lying within the designated Ingleborough Site of Special Scientific Interest. Long Kin East Cave starts as a long meandering stream passage but then plummets down a 58-metre (190 ft) deep shaft when it meets a shattered fault into which Rift Pot also descends. At the bottom, the stream flows through some low canals and sumps, to eventually emerge at Austwick Beck Head in Crummackdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapel-le-Dale (valley)</span> Valley in the Yorkshire Dales, England

Chapel-le-Dale is west-facing valley in the Yorkshire Dales, England. The U-shaped valley of Chapel-le-Dale is one of the few which drain westwards towards the Irish Sea, however, the river that flows through the valley has several names with the Environment Agency and the Ordnance Survey listing it as the River Doe. However, some older texts insist the name of the watercourse through the dale is the River Greta, which runs from a point below the hamlet of Chapel-le-Dale, and onwards past Ingleton. The dale is sparsely populated with only one settlement, the hamlet of Chapel-le-Dale, which has a small chapel.

References

  1. "10 Most Incredible Cave Waterfalls on Earth". World Reviewer. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  2. Kevin Adams (1 June 2002). Waterfalls of Virginia and West Virginia: A Hiking and Photography Guide. Menasha Ridge Press. p. 32. ISBN   978-0-89732-414-4.
  3. Waltham, Tony; Murphy, Phil (2013). Waltham, Tony; Lowe, Dave (eds.). Caves and Karst of the Yorkshire Dales. Buxton: British Cave Research Association. p. 136. ISBN   978-0900265-46-4.
  4. Pavils, Gatis (7 March 2013). "Vrtiglavica Cave and Waterfall". Wondermondo. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  5. "Tennessee's Spectacular Underground Waterfall". The Weather Channel. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2016.