Abstract
Isolated caves are a special cave type common in most karst terrains, formed by prolonged slow water flow where aggressivity is locally boosted. The morphometry and distribution of isolated caves are used here to reconstruct the paleohydrology of a karstic mountain range. Within a homogenous karstic rock sequence, two main types of isolated caves are distinguished, and each is associated with a special hydrogeologic setting: maze caves form by rising water in the confined zone of the aquifer, under the Mt. Scopus Group (Israel) confinement, while chamber caves are formed in phreatic conditions, apparently by lateral flow mixing with a vadose input from above.
Original language | American English |
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Pages (from-to) | 457-471 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Geomorphology |
Volume | 67 |
Issue number | 3-4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 30 Apr 2005 |
Keywords
- Cave formation
- Cave morphology
- Chamber caves
- Groundwater dissolution
- Karst aquifer
- Maze caves