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Abîme
In geography, an abîme is a vertical shaft in karst terrain that may be very deep and usually opens into a network of subterranean passages.Whittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography'’. London: Penguin, 1984, p. 11. . The term is borrowed from French, where it means abyss or chasm. Definition Formation Abîmes are a structure which form late in the life of a limestone cave. They can be 1–10 metres in diameter and up to 50 metres in height vertically. The walls have grooves that serve as a contrast to the smooth nature of the rest of the cave. They are known to lie under heads of stream valleys, sinkholes, or along non-carbonated rocks. Water will occasionally fall down the shaft, creating subterranean waterfalls. Only a small portion of the abîme connects to the rest of the cavern. They can extend to the present water table, while the rest of the cavern lies above it. Other names Abîme are also known as pit caves in the U.S. and pot caves in England. They can ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karst
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant rocks, such as quartzite, given the right conditions. Subterranean drainage may limit surface water, with few to no rivers or lakes. However, in regions where the dissolved bedrock is covered (perhaps by debris) or confined by one or more superimposed non-soluble rock strata, distinctive karst features may occur only at subsurface levels and can be totally missing above ground. The study of ''paleokarst'' (buried karst in the stratigraphic column) is important in petroleum geology because as much as 50% of the world's hydrocarbon reserves are hosted in carbonate rock, and much of this is found in porous karst systems. Etymology The English word ''karst'' was borrowed from German in the late 19th century, which entered German much earlier ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karst Formations
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant rocks, such as quartzite, given the right conditions. Subterranean drainage may limit surface water, with few to no rivers or lakes. However, in regions where the dissolved bedrock is covered (perhaps by debris) or confined by one or more superimposed non-soluble rock strata, distinctive karst features may occur only at subsurface levels and can be totally missing above ground. The study of ''paleokarst'' (buried karst in the stratigraphic column) is important in petroleum geology because as much as 50% of the world's hydrocarbon reserves are hosted in carbonate rock, and much of this is found in porous karst systems. Etymology The English word ''karst'' was borrowed from German language, German in the late 19th century, which entered Ger ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. The first recorded use of the word γεωγραφία was as a title of a book by Greek scholar Eratosthenes (276–194 BC). Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding of Earth and its human and natural complexities—not merely where objects are, but also how they have changed and come to be. While geography is specific to Earth, many concepts can be applied more broadly to other celestial bodies in the field of planetary science. One such concept, the first law of geography, proposed by Waldo Tobler, is "everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things." Geography has been called "the world discipline" and "the bridge between the human and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
French Language
French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, which French ( Francien) largely supplanted. French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the ( Germanic) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to France's past overseas expansion, there are numerous French-based creole languages, most notably Haitian Creole. A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French. French is an official language in 29 countries across multiple continents, most of which are members of the ''Organisation internationale de la Francophonie'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cave Of Swallows
The Cave of Swallows, also called the Cave of the Swallows ( es, Sótano de las Golondrinas), is an open-air pit cave in the municipality of Aquismón, San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The elliptical mouth, on a slope of karst, is 49 by 62 m wide and is undercut around all of its perimeter, widening to a room approximately 303 by 135 meters (994 by 442 ft) wide. The floor of the cave is a 333-meter (1,092 ft) freefall drop from the lowest side of the opening, with a 370-meter (1,214 ft) drop from the highest side, making it the largest known cave shaft in the world, the second deepest pit in Mexico and perhaps the 11th deepest sheer drop in the world. List of deepest caves uses different criteria, not sheer drop but accessibility. History The cave has been known to the local Huastec people since ancient times. T. R. Evans, Charles Borland and Randy Sterns were first shown the cave on 27 December 1966. The first documented descent was on 4 April 1967. Geology The cave ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hellhole (cave)
Hellhole is a large and deep pit cave in Germany Valley, eastern West Virginia. It is the 7th longest cave in the United States and is home to almost half of the world's population of Virginia big-eared bats. At , Hellhole is the deepest of several caves in the Valley. Hellhole has had a long and storied association with the National Speleological Society dating back to the creation of that organization in the early 1940s. Many basic caving techniques (e.g., the single rope technique) were developed in Hellhole's 154-foot (47 meter) entrance drop. Description The only known entrance to Hellhole is a funnel-shaped pit entrance on the lower slopes of North Fork Mountain. Descent by rope through this spectacular and storied entrance shaft gives access to a vast chamber. From the time exploration began there in the 1940s, cavers have documented over of mapped passage in the Hellhole system. "Little Hellhole" is a well known pit deeper in the cave. Hellhole's passages are develope ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vrtiglavica
Vrtiglavica, also Vrtoglavica (both from Slovene ''vrtoglavica'' 'vertigo'), is a karst shaft on the Kanin Plateau, part of the Kanin Mountains, Western Julian Alps, on the Slovene side of the border between Slovenia and Italy. It has the deepest known single vertical drop in the world, at .http://www.caverbob.com/pit.htm The cave formed in a glaciokarst landscape; that is, a karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ... landscape that was subjected to Pleistocene glacial activity. The total depth of the cave is . It contains one of the tallest cave waterfalls in the world; the estimated height of the falls is . It was discovered in the summer of 1996 by Italian speleologists and the bottom was reached on October 12, 1996, by a joint Slovene–Italian expedition. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pozzo Del Merro
Pozzo del Merro is a flooded sinkhole in the countryside northeast of Rome, Italy. Situated at the bottom of an 80 m conical pit, at it is the second deepest underwater vertical cave in the world. In 2000 two ROVs were sent to explore its depths; the first, the "Mercurio (Mercury)" reached its maximum operative depth of without reaching the bottom. The second ROV, "Hyball 300", reached without touching down either. A third dive in 2002 with the more advanced "Prometeo" robot reached the bottom at , but discovered a narrow passage continuing horizontally. The sinkhole, similar to the Zacatón cenote, was formed by volcanic activity eroding the carbonate rock Carbonate rocks are a class of sedimentary rocks composed primarily of carbonate minerals. The two major types are limestone, which is composed of calcite or aragonite (different crystal forms of CaCO3), and dolomite rock (also known as dolosto .... References Sinkholes of Italy Metropolitan City of Rome Capita ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dinaric Alps
The Dinaric Alps (), also Dinarides, are a mountain range in Southern and Southcentral Europe, separating the continental Balkan Peninsula from the Adriatic Sea. They stretch from Italy in the northwest through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Kosovo to Albania in the southeast. The Dinaric Alps extend for approximately along the western Balkan peninsula from the Julian Alps of the northeast Italy, downwards to the Šar and Korab massif, where their direction changes. The Accursed Mountains, is the highest section of the entire Dinaric Alps; this section stretches from Albania to Kosovo and eastern Montenegro. Maja Jezercë is the highest peak and is located in Albania, standing at Metres above the Adriatic, above the Adriatic. The Dinaric Alps are one of the most rugged and extensive mountainous areas of Europe, alongside the Caucasus Mountains, Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathian Mountains and Scandinavian Mountains. They are formed largely of Mesoz ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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