Journal of Cave and Karst Studies Articles

Below are links to every individual article published in the journal. This includes a stand alone PDF for each article, as well as authors & abstracts. Learn more about the journal below.

JournalLogo

FILTER BY YEAR

Sort By Volume

Morphometric Analysis of Gypsum Depressions Using Drone Imagery at Sinkhole Flat, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA

Morphometric analysis is conducted on five karst depressions in Permian-age gypsum of southeast New Mexico. These depressions take on the form of classically shaped blind valleys and sinkholes. Blind ...

Mapping Groundwater Infiltration in Karst Using LIDAR at Natural Bridge Caverns, Texas

The Trinity and Edwards Aquifers, two of the nine major groundwater systems in Texas, are significant sources of water in south-central Texas. The aquifers are primarily hosted in a network of fractur...

First Folia Occurrence From Greece

Folia are among the rarest speleothems, known from 28 caves worldwide, and their origin is still a matter of ongoing scientific discussion and investigation. This study presents the first documented o...

Herpetofauna in the Caves of the Andaman Islands: An Appeal for Conservation Measures

As incidental inhabitants, amphibians and reptiles actively exploit subterranean ecosystems. In the Indian context, knowledge of cave-dwelling herpetofauna is scarce. This paper compiles information a...

The Relationship Between Sediment Geochemistry, Manganese Oxidation, Human Traffic, and Microbial Community Structure Across Three Southern Appalachian Caves

Three southern Appalachian caves were assessed in a multiproxy analysis to determine if human visitation and modification of the cave environment could influence cave mineralogy, inorganic geochemistr...

Description of Lirceus fousheensis, n. sp., the First Troglomorphic Isopod of the Genus Lirceus (Hoppinellus) From the Ozarks (Crustacea: Isopoda: Asellidae)

Troglomorphic, stygobiontic asellid isopods of the genera Caecidotea and Conasellus are widespread in the Ozark physiographic province of the central United States. In contrast, numerous species of L...

Environmental DNA Metabarcoding of Fungi Associated With Bat Guano in Wang Burma Cave (Perlis, Peninsular Malaysia)

Discoveries of unique, undescribed cave-dwelling species exhibiting extreme endemism demonstrate their biodiversity richness and specialization to such exclusive environments. Studies on fungi in cav...

Monitoring Shallow Groundwater Quality in the Springfield Plateau of Missouri via Karst Springs

Shallow groundwater plays an ever-important role in determining surface water quality and stream ecology. Since shallow groundwater is so readily affected by contaminants produced by human activities...

Multi-Phase Hypogene Speleogenesis: The Bopper Cave System, Grand Canyon, USA

The Bopper Cave System (BCS) in the Grand Canyon, USA, offers a unique case study in multi-phase hypogene speleogenesis. The BCS, discovered in 2006, presents distinct features differing from other h...

The North American Fossil Record of Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) From Cave and Karst Deposits

Bats are the group of mammals most closely associated with caves. More than half of the 45 living species of bats from temperate North America (NA) are cave-dwellers in the families Vespertilionidae,...

PRIOVAC: A Paleontological Resource Inventory of Virginia Caves

An inventory of the paleontological resources in Virginia caves was initiated by the authors in 1996. Invertebrate and vertebrate fossil occurrences in Virginia were examined to understand the range ...

A Fossil Sloth Skeleton From a Cave in Queretaro, Mexico

Over thousands of years, a pit within Cueva del Tesoro in Queretaro, Mexico, has functioned as a death trap for mam- mals. This has resulted in the accumulation of mammalian fossils. At the bottom of...

Middle Holocene Flora and Fauna From a Ringtail (Bassariscus, Carnivora) Den, Western Grand Canyon, Arizona

Dietary remains recovered from Bassariscus (ringtail) midden deposits of middle Holocene age in the Weeping Cliffs, lower Grand Canyon, Arizona, indicate a diverse ringtail diet of plants and small v...

Cenotes, Caves, and Sloths: Pleistocene Sloth Diversity on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico and Belize

Exploration of both dry and submerged caves in the Yucatan Peninsula by cave divers has revealed a high diversity of Pleistocene giant ground sloths, representing all four families. Researchers worki...

The Oregon Caves National Monument Fossil Jaguar and the Paucity of Fossil Jaguars From the Western USA

The most northerly excavated partial skeleton of a fossil jaguar (Panthera onca /augusta) from the USA (Oregon Caves Na- tional Monument, or ORCA) is described, illustrated and identified. Most of th...

Late Quaternary Faunas From Caves in the Black Hills, South Dakota

The dolomitic limestone Pahasapa Formation exposed in the Black Hills of South Dakota is well known to contain a multitude of caves and other karst features. In order to raise greater awareness of th...

Quaternary Badger (Mustelidae: Taxidea) From Snake Creek Burial Cave, Nevada

We report on the fossils of the North American badger, Taxidea taxus (Carnivora) recovered from Snake Creek Burial Cave (SCBC), White Pine County, Nevada. The natural trap cave with its large funnel-...

Vulpes vulpes (Red Fox) Remains From Stanton’s Cave, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Stanton’s Cave is a large solutional cavern in the eastern region of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. The cave is best known to Quaternary paleontologists for its abundant Late Pleistocene and ...

Late Pleistocene Vertebrate Fauna and Bat Guano Deposit of La Tetera Cave, Arizona, USA

La Tetera is a cave formed in the mid-late Paleozoic limestones of the Rincon Mountains of southern Arizona, USA. The cave was sealed since the late Pleistocene and preserves a small vertebrate fauna...

Taphonomic Implication of Ontogenetic Distributions for Field Mice (Peromyscus spp.) Populations From Two Debris Cone Deposits, Parker’s Pit, Black Hills, South Dakota, USA

Fossils accumulate in caves in multiple ways. Each introduces biases that must be understood before interpreting the assemblage. The ontogenetic age distributions of individual specimens of field mic...

Natural Traps, Shelters, or Predator Dens: Why Are Pleistocene Fossil Pronghorn (Mammalia: Antilocapridae) Found in Caves?

We examine the Pleistocene record of fossil pronghorn (Mammalia: Antilocapridae) bones found primarily in caves throughout the Intermountain West of the United States and Mexico, but also in Florida,...

National Park Service Cave Paleontology: 2002–2023

The first published inventory of paleontological resources associated with National Park Service (NPS) caves was issued in 2001 (Santucci et al. 2001). This report documented occurrences of fossil re...

Frederick von Hofe Grady (1948–2023)–An Appreciation

Earth Tide Signal On Tracer Gases Fluctuations From A Huge Cave (Torca Del Carlista Cave, Biscay, Spain)

This study presents the results of monitoring air temperature, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, air radon (222Rn) concentration and CO2 concentration in a huge cave, Torca del Carlista (–353...

A Marine Karst Ecosystem In Need Of Some Love

Here we describe a shallow-water karst ecosystem observed along the coast of Taiwan’s Orchid Island, consisting of extensive networks of caves, canyons, and pools. Measurements at various locations ...

Introduction: Systematics of the subterranean amphipod genus Stygobromus (Crangonyctidae): Species of the Ozarks and adjacent regions

This paper serves as an introduction to a multi-part monograph on the systematics of the subterranean amphipod genus Stygobromus, originally initiated by the late Dr. John R. Holsinger. The manuscript...

Systematics of the Subterranean Amphipod Genus Stygobromus (Crangonyctidae): Species of the Ozarks and Adjacent Regions

Three new species of the subterranean amphipod genus Stygobromus are described: Stygobromus gardneri, n. sp., from numerous localities in Arkansas and Missouri; Stygobromus acicularis, n. sp., from t...

Description of Manganese Events in Hydrothermal Hypogene Speleogenesis

The phreatic speleothems of hydrothermal speleogenesis are mainly mammillaries and spar calcite. In this study, seven samples from four caves in three areas of Greece are investigated. Morphological e...

Documentation of a Sudden Karstic Lake Drainage Event in the Shulgan River Valley

This article presents hydrological, hydrogeochemical, and mineralogical features of karstic lakes located in the basin of the disappearing, karstic Shulgan River (southern Ural, Russia). The lakes are...

Long-Distance Cavernous Flow in the Upper Florida Aquifer, Woodville Mantled-Karst Plain, Leon and Wakulla Counties, Florida

A Rhodamine WT dye study was conducted to establish whether a subterranean flow could be positively demonstrated between Lake Jackson, a shallow perched lake, and Wakulla Spring, a renowned first magn...

Cave Monitoring in the Monsoon Region of China and Its Paleoclimatic Implications

Cave monitoring is essential for accurately interpreting the significance of proxies in stalagmite records. Here, we have compiled published monitoring data from 14 caves in the monsoon region of Chi...

The Diatom Flora of Hall’s Cave, Kerr County, Texas

This paper presents the results of a study to identify the species and distribution of diatoms growing in various habitats and on different substrates in Hall’s Cave, a limestone cave located on th...

Large Felid Tracks and Bones From Chilly Bowl Cave, Arkansas

Multiple large cat tracks were found within Chilly Bowl Cave, Arkansas, representing at least two individuals of the genus Panthera. Large felid bone fragments were also found in a passageway near the...

Cave Biodiversity of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

Recognized as an important pathway between the east coast and the interior of the United States, much of the Cumberland Gap has been protected as part of the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (C...

Torosites: A New Microbially Mediated Speleothem From Sistemalos Toros, Nuevo Léon, Mexico

Although several kinds of speleothems are known to grow with pendant morphology (i.e., helictites, pool fingers, and stalactites), we describe here a new form found in Sistema Los Toros, Nuevo Léon,...

Contribution to the Ostracoda (Crustacea) Fauna of the Karstic Region of Texas with the Description of a New Species

A total of 27 ostracod taxa were collected from 1995 to 2017 from 61 aquatic bodies in the karstic region of Texas (USA) and 1 in Mexico, including from caves, springs, spring-fed pools, and springs/d...

Iron Oxide Crusts in 2 Hypogene Caves in Greece

Iron oxide deposits in the form of crusts are examined in the field and in the laboratory with scanning electron microscopy. Samples came from two caves developed in different geological settings but ...

Freshwater Isopods of the Genus Lirceus from Caves and Springs of the Interior Highlands, USA, with Description of Three New Species (Isopoda: Asellidae)

Eleven species of the freshwater isopod genus Lirceus occur in the Interior Highlands, a region of the south-central United States comprised of the Ozark and Ouachita physiographic provinces. As part ...

Morphodynamics of Glaciolvolcanic Caves – Mount Rainier, Washington, USA

The twin summit craters of Mount Rainier Washington USA host the largest known glaciovolcanic caves in the world and at 4382 m the highest elevation caves in the USA. The caves are formed in ice at th...

Rock Pigeon Cave, Colorado: Development and Mineralogy

The late Cretaceous Mancos Shale in western Colorado contains several vadose caves developed entirely within the shale. The largest of these, Rock Pigeon Cave, is over 300 m in length and contains a s...

Using High-Resolution X-Ray Computed Tomography to Test the Preparation of Stalagmites for Paleo-Climate Reconstruction

Stalagmites being prepared for paleoclimate analysis should typically be slabbed along the central growth axis. This is an important first step because it allows for the highest resolution of sampling...

Stimulation of aquatic bacteria from Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, by sublethal concentrations of antibiotics

Many microorganisms secrete secondary metabolites with antibiotic properties; however, there is debate whether the secretions evolved as a means to gain a competitive edge or as a chemical signal to c...

Saint Anthony Cave: Morphology, genesis, and age of one of the oldest religious shrines, Southern Galala Plateau, Eastern Desert, Egypt

Saint Anthony Cave is an important cultural, religious, and historic site; it was home of Saint Anthony, one of the earliest Christian monks (ca. 251–356 AD). The cave is located in a tectonically-c...

Consequences of the global climate crisis on the cave beetle Darlingto-nea Kentuckensis Valentine based on thermal tolerance and dehydra-tion resistance

Rising temperatures and diminishing groundwater availability due to the current climate crisis are predicted to expose cave faunas in eastern North America to unprecedented environmental conditions th...

Seasonal context of Bristly Cave Crayfish Cambarus setosus habitat use and life history

Cave crayfishes are important members of groundwater communities, but many cave crayfishes are threatened or endangered. Unfortunately, we lack basic life history and ecological data that are needed f...

16s rRNA diversity of Mirror Lake in Gilindire Cave (Turkey) shows abundant Nitrospira

We present the prokaryotic microbial diversity of Mirror Lake, located at the end of Gilindire Cave (Turkey), whose geomorphology shows development in multiple geologic periods and by multiple mechani...

Radon in dead-end caves in Europe

We report the results of 3-years of Radon-222 monitoring in six show caves across Europe, selected with the feature of having only one, or no natural entrance, defined as dead-end caves. The caves are...

Ongoing genesis of a novel glaciovolcanic cave system in the crater of Mount St. Helens, Washington, USA

Mount St. Helens, one of the highest-risk volcanoes in the Cascade Volcanic Arc, hosts a novel system of glaciovolcanic caves that has formed around the 2004?2008 lava dome. From 2014 to 2021 a multid...

Development and persistence of hazardous atmospheres in a glaciovolcanic cave system—Mount Rainier, Washington, USA

Glaciovolcanic cave systems, including fumarolic ice caves, can present variable atmospheric hazards. The twin summit craters of Mount Rainier, Washington, USA, host the largest fumarolic ice cave sys...

3D resistivity survey over mapped caves in eogenetic karst terrane, west-central Florida, USA

This study assesses the capability and practical applications of quasi-3 Dimensional (3D) Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) for mapping air-filled conduits in eogenetic karst. A high-resolution ...

Geology and palaeoenvironment of Karin Tak Cave (lesser caucasus)

Karin Tak cave is located in the south-eastern end of the Lesser Caucasus (NE of the Armenian Highland). Development of the cave was related to the dissolution of Middle-Upper Jurassic limestone by me...

Land-use impacts on the hydrology of the Hidden River groundwater subbasin, Horse Cave, Hart County, Kentucky

Hidden River Cave, located in the city of Horse Cave, Ky., forms one of the main tributaries of the Hidden River groundwater subbasin that spans multiple counties in south-central Kentucky. Hidden Riv...

Methods and analysis of bat guano cores from caves for paleoecology

Whereas bat guano is gaining viability in accurately reconstructing local paleoenvironmental and climatic conditions, overall reviews of methods for analyzing and collecting bat guano cores have recei...

A debris flow deposit in Mammoth Cave: field characterization

This work presents an analysis of a debris flow deposit below Earth’s surface in the Mammoth Cave System in Kentucky, USA, and is the first study to characterize an in-cave debris flow to this level...

Bacterial diversity in vadose cave pools: evidence for isolated ecosystems

Microbial diversity of cave pools, especially vadose pools, has received relatively little attention. To help fill this gap, this study reports on the bacterial diversity of 17 pools in three New Mexi...

Physical and analytical modeling of rhythmic karst springs

Rhythmic Karst Springs (RKSs) are rare geologic features that rhythmically outflow water. A mechanical model for the rhythmic flow with rhythmic spill-over configuration was constructed in this work. ...

Genetic and functional diversity of soil bacteria and fungi from different microhabitats in a karst region in Southern China

Little is known about the difference between bacterial and fungal genetic and functional diversity in karst regions of south China. In this study, the genetic and functional diversity of bacteria and ...

An interpretation of Cueva de la Huachizca, Santa Clara del Cobre, Michoacán, México

Cueva de la Huachizca is located in the humid forests of the Municipio of Santa Clara del Cobre, Michoacán. During the Postclassic period (1300−1520 ad), Santa Clara del Cobre was a part of the Tar...

Solute transport and solutional denudation rate of carbonate karst in the semi-arid Zagros region (southwestern Iran)

We conducted a one-year-long study of solute load measured three times per month in three neighboring subwatersheds (Alashtar, Khorram Abad, and Biranshahr) located in the Karkheh River basin in the Z...

An underworld tailored to tourists: A dragon, a photo-model, and a bio-indicator

The history of studies of a subterranean tailed amphibian, known as the olm or proteus (Proteus anguinus), is a colorful indicator of the changing view of the world beneath our feet. Throughout histor...

Glacier caves: a globally threatened subterranean biome

Caves and cave-like voids are common features within and beneath glaciers. The physical environment is harsh and extreme, and often considered barren and devoid of life. However, accumulating evidence...

Identification of fungi from soil and sediment in Jefriz Cave; the first survey in a cave from Iran

The aim of this study was to characterize the mycobiota in soil and sediment samples of Jefriz cave in Kerman, Iran. During 2018−2019, the culturable mycobiota from several sites within the Jefriz c...

Caecidotea burkensis, new species, a unique subterranean isopod from Burke’s Garden, with a synthesis of the biogeo-graphy and evolution of southwestern Virginia asellids

Caecidotea burkensis, a new species of subterranean asellid isopod, is described and illustrated from material collected from Lawson Cave, in Burke’s Garden, Tazewell County, Virginia. The type-loca...

Cave radon exposure, dose, dynamics and mitigation

Many caves around the world have very high concentrations of naturally occurring 222Rn that may vary dramatically with seasonal and diurnal patterns. For most caves with a variable seasonal or diurnal...

Dating and interpretation of recent clastic sediments in an urban cave

Capshaw Cave functions as a major stormwater runoff channel for the city of Cookeville, Tennessee, receiving inputs from several large sinkholes. Sediments deposited in the cave reflect the history of...

Diversity of siderophore-producing bacterial cultures from Carlsbad Caverns National Park caves, Carlsbad, New Mexico

Siderophores are microbially-produced ferric iron chelators. They are essential for microbial survival, but their presence and function for cave microorganisms have not been extensively studied. Sider...

Microbiome of Grand Canyon Caverns, a dry sulfuric karst cave in Arizona, supports diverse extremophilic bacterial and archaeal communities

We analyzed the microbial community of multicolored speleosol deposits found in Grand Canyon Caverns, a dry sulfuric karst cave in northwest Arizona, USA. Underground cave and karst systems harbor a g...

The fauna of caves and other subterranean habitats of North Carolina, USA

Over 1,500 caves have been documented in North Carolina, however, cave fauna in the Blue Ridge Mountains and Piedmont regions of North Carolina have been overlooked historically compared to the cave-r...

Fungi from dead arthropods and bats of Gomantong Cave, northern Borneo, Sabah (Malaysia)

Borneo is a biodiversity and ecotourism hotspot, yet one of its least-studied ecosystems is their limestone caves. Not many studies have been conducted on the role fungi play in tropical cave ecosyste...

Karst sinkholes as foci of biodiversity in the Hoosier National Forest

Sinkholes are a well-known, but poorly studied, aspect of karst environments. In 2015, the Hoosier National Forest in southern Indiana, USA, commissioned a study of sinkhole habitats to assess their e...

Genesis and evolution of the square soda straws of Dry Cave, West Virginia, USA

Lateral ferruginous groundwater transfer as the origin of the iron crusts in caves: A case study

Variation in cephalic neuromasts surface and cave-dwelling fishes of the family amblyopsidae (teleostei: percopsiformes)

Sundathelphusa prosperidad, sp. n. (decapoda: brachyura: gecarcinucidae), a new cave-obligate freshwater crab from Mindanao Island, the Philippines, with notes on the conservation status of Philippine cave species

Enzyme profiles and antimicrobial activities of bacteria isolated from the Kadiini Cave, Alanya, Turkey

Anthropogenic impacts on the bacterial profile of Yarik Sinkhole in Antalya, Turkey

Biodiversity from caves and other sub-terranean habitats of Georgia, USA

Lampenflora and the entrance biofilm in two show caves: comparison of microbial community, environmental, and biofilm parameters

Domitius Culsu sp. nov. (Araneae, Nestici-dae), a new troglobiont spider from Italy with notes on Italian nesticids of the genus Domitius Ribera, 2018

Biogeochemical investigations of the speleothem moonmilk in the karst Proschalnaya Cave (Far East, Russia)

Sinkhole susceptibility assessment based on morphological, imagery, and contextual attributes derived from gis and imagery data

Dynamics of Coll;……./,kembola (Hexapoda) in a forested limestone scree slope, Western Carpathians, Slovakia

A reactivated cave system induces rapidly developing cover-collapse sinkholes in Tasmania, Australia

Micromorphology, mineralogy, and geo-chemistry of sediments at the Tham Lod rock shelter archaeological site in Mae Hong Son, Thailand: suggestions of a late Pleistocene climate

Natural and human-induced subsidence due to gypsum dissolution: a case study from Inandik, Central Anatolia, Turkey

Description of a new genus and species as the first gastropod species from caves in Iran

Metabarcoding comparison of prokaryotic microbiomes from Appalachian karst caves to surface soils in southwest Virginia, USA

Epilythic cyanobacteria and algae in two geologically distinct caves in South Africa

A minimal model for predicting ventilation rates of subterranean caves

Halotolerant and chaotolerant microfungi from littoral anchialine caves Golubinka and Medova Buža (Croatia)

The concept of regulated use of natural heritage sites included in the tourist cluster: a Russian caves case study

Temperature and reverse-flow patterns of the River Styx, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky

The karst and its neighbors: Digital map Multi-year cave dripwater frequency and hydrochemical monitoring of three caves in Eastern North America

Combined use of hydrogeological, hydrogeochemical and isotopic techni-ques to identify the impact of a salt diapir on surrounding aquifers, Southern Iran

The karst and its neighbors: Digital map of geomorphic environments in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Variations of the stable isotopic composition of precipitation and cave drip water at zhenzhu cave, north China: a two-year monitoring study

Description of a new tribe Cabralcandonini (Candonidae, Ostracoda) from karst aquifers in central Texas, U.S.A

Processes leading to the re-activation of a sinkhole in buried karst and the subsequent drying of waterfalls in a small catchment located in northern Indiana, USA

Comparison of surface and interior karst development in Zagros Karst Aquifers, Southwest Iran

Ventilation and cave air PCO2 in the Bunker-Emst Cave System (NW Germany): implications for speleothem proxy data