RRSS - Cave Terminology

Formations:

• Calcium Carbonate - Formations in Solution Caves are grown when this is deposited by water filtering through upper soil. (Click here to see an interactive Solution Cave Map)
• Cave Pearls - small spherical calcite deposites usually found in pools
• Columns - a Stalactite and Stalagmite that have joined to form one continous formation
• Drapery/Curtains/Cave Bacon - thin sheets of wavey stalactites.
• Flowstone - deposited by sheets of water gently washing over cave walls and floors
• Grotto - A small cave (the official NSS name given to a caving chapter or club)
• Karst - An area of landscape over irregular limestone in which erosion by surface or groundwater has produced fissures, sinkholes, underground streams, and caverns.
  (See Map of Karst Regions in Illinois)
• Rimstone Dams - stair-stepped pools made by cascading waterfalls
• Soda Straws - approx. 1/4" diameter hollow stalactites
• Stalactites - forms from ceiling down (Hang "Tight" from one)
• Stalagmites - forms from floor up

Passagways and Techniques:

• Belly Crawls - Passages from about 10 inches to 2 feet in height that require a lot of squirming.
• Breakdown - Areas where the ceiling has collapsed covering the floor with mounds of debris that need to be scrambled over. Avoid if unstable.
• Cave Walking - Passages 4 to 6 feet high walked with some stooping
• Chimmney - vertical shafts 2 to 3 feet in diameter that can be climbed when you wedge yourself with your back against one side and your knees or feet against the other.
• Crawling - Passages 2 to 4 feet tall where you're usually on all fours
• Scramble - When a passage is too steep to walk but not steep enough to require rock climbing techniques (generally less than 45 degrees). It includes walking, climbing, sliding, bridging and jamming meneuvers.
• Squeeze - Short spots where sucking in your stomach is required to make yourself thinner
• Sump - A passage that continues underwater
• Tight Squeeze - Short spots where exhaling and compressing your ribs is required to make yourself even thinner
• Twilight Zone - That area just inside the mouth of the cave where life forms transition from those that live partially outside of the cave and those that live exclusively inside.
• Walkway - Nearly horizontal standing room passages

Cave Mapping:

See the official interactive list of Basic Cave Mapping Symbols,
Published by the International Union of Speleology (UIS)

For the entire list in English download the following PDF document- uis_signatures_english.pdf


( Adobe Acrobat Reader required)

After I tell someone I go caving I typically get a wierd look and responce.
"What do you mean caving? You mean you go into caves?"
We'll duh!! I tell them "Yes I belong to a group that goes down into caves".
Then they recite to me of all the show caves they've ever been in.
I explain "I go crawling in caves with no lights, handrails or stairs."
Then comes that wierd look again and they usually say "So then you're a spelunker."
I shake my head and proudly say "No, not exactly. I'm a caver!"
So if you're wondering what the difference is, I recommend reading the
following article by Jo Schaper of The Missouri Speleological Survey, Inc.

Caver, Speleologist or Spelunker?

For a more complete list of caving terms visit the Glossary of Speleological and Caving Terms
by the Australian Speleological Federation Inc. (ASF)

Glossary of Geological Terms
by The Illinois State Geological Survey, ISGS

Illinois Caverns (Example):

Please report any broken links or recommendations

Send comments to RRSS@caves.org. Last updated 1/1/2008

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