Speleology

Speleology, or caving (Latin spelaeum " cave " and -logy ) is the technical term for caving / potholing.

Work areas and tasks

The aim of Speleology is the study ( and protection ) of caves and karst features.

The caving is an interdisciplinary science that brings together many sub-areas, including:

Archeology
Biology ( biospeleology, bats)
Geography
Geology
Hydrology
Climatology
Paleontology

The discovery of new parts of the cave and their surveying, cartography, including the cave environment is one of the main tasks of the cavers. The results are collected in journals and in the cave cadastre. Starting point of the research is often the cave Befahrung that includes a practical caving highly specialized methods such as Einseiltechnik (SRT ), and cave diving.

In practice cavers spend a lot of time trying to make caves " passable ", ie to ensure that a human being - often schlufend ( creeping ) - can enter the widest possible parts of the cave. This often has to be dug under the most difficult working conditions sediment from verlehmten courses or rock blocks away.

The geologist Radim Kettner affiliated caving into the main areas Speläotopographie, speleogenesis and Speläobiologie. Furthermore, he calls the Speläohydrologie, Speläometeorologie. The Speläobiologie combines his description after the Speläobotanik, Speläozoologie, Speläopaläontologie and Speläoanthropologie.

Cavers are also active for the cave protection in most cases.

Speleologist or cavers

The speleologist ( cavers ) drives on caves for their research and documentation, and is usually organized in a speleological club.
The cave goers explored an undeveloped cave with no scientific purpose. See also caving.
The cave tourist visits a show cave or participates in a cave trekking tour.

There are very few professional cavers. Often there are geologists who are involved in research projects for universities. Most cavers are hobbyists who have their knowledge acquired individually and often collaborate with professional researchers from various disciplines. In many speleological clubs and scientists working in their spare time. Some well-known names appear in the list of cavers.

Furthermore cavers often have different alpinism ago known skills (climbing, rope technique ), as well as other skills such as cave diving, surveying, cave rescue and emergency medicine.

Equipment

The basic equipment of cavers is usually first of a rockfall helmet with fixed headlamp. Here are lamps with LED technology on the rise; occasionally, however, are still in use carbide lamps, which are usually combined with a battery or battery lamp. Is indispensable especially the Schlaz ( an extremely robust overall), the ( a particularly strapazfähiger backpack, the one in bottlenecks "grinding " may be ) is and emergency equipment combined with Unterschlaz, gloves, hiking boots or rubber boots with grip sole, slip bag.

Any additional equipment depend in particular on the objective, duration of stay and the type of the cave:

Water caves: Superschlaz ( waterproof Schlaz ) or a wetsuit might cave diving equipment
Shaft caves: SRT equipment (ropes, descender, ascenders ), hammer, impact drill, Spit / bolts, lugs, Hoehlenforscherleiter, etc.
Ice Caves: crampons, ice screws, advanced protection against cold

For multi-day expeditions also have an extended food storage as well as a sleeping bag and a sleeping mat often is required.

Einseiltechnik (SRT )

The Einseiltechnik (single rope technique ) is used to driving a predominantly vertical routes such as shafts. Since caves in many places can not be climbed in a classic style because of wetness and mud, or in the cave safety is a top priority, this can be overcome with the help of technical aids. Until the 1970s shafts were often overcome with the help of rope ladders. These are very heavy compared to ropes, apart from the fact it had to be additionally secured with a rope. Above all, the descent on rope ladders is troublesome and dangerous.

Today, the driving of shafts is much easier and safer. The personal equipment consists of Höhlensitzgurt, chest strap, Fuse ( cowtail ), chest ascender, hand ascender with Fußschlinge and descender. With self-locking abseiling or so-called " racks " can be handled shaft distances safely, quickly and above all saving effort down. With the ascenders ( Yümar, Croll, etc.) it is corresponding to strenuous, but still very safe back up.

The ropes that are used here, are special static ropes ( " caving ropes "), whose coat against wear and dirt is tightly woven, and in contrast to the ropes, which are used in traditional climbing on the mountain, only a very small exhibit elongation. Caving ropes must therefore be used in addition to the abseiling and upgrades only to the static back up.

Surveying and cave map

Various methods for the mapping are applied: In smaller caves are often used with a measuring string that is stretched between two points. At this line a hanging compass, the so-called hanging stuff is hooked, the inclination of the measuring section with an inclinometer ( clinometer ) is measured and determines the length of the tape measure. In alpine caves rather come DF method used. For this purpose, compass, including inclinometer and robust laser distance meters, which can cope with the difficult conditions (temperature, humidity, moisture, dirt ), are used. The survey represents the measurement group, which is usually from 3-4 cavers often face significant problems. In addition to dirt, moisture tightness often means that you can read out the instrument problematic. Metal objects in the equipment - and also in the helmet lamps - can distort the compass measurements. The step towards the next point is, while you have to keep climbing or swimming at the previous measurement point may require considerable acrobatic skills. Even when working with multiple couple of gloves in the change it can almost never be avoided to transfer significant amounts of clay and moisture measuring instruments and sketches.

Slope, length and azimuth (compass angle ) form a polygon. In a survey many polygons strung together ( = traversing ) that are transferred to a plan are. The signatories on the spot recorded on the plan and aisle widths, shapes, cavity contents, other interests, etc. This sketch can not be completely to scale, as a rule, not all measured traits are correctly projected from three dimensions to two dimensions as you draw: An approximately 7 m long test section with 45 ° slope would have to be drawn to a scale- dimensional plan with about 5 m in length.

The sketch and the logged electronically or on paper polygons are used to making a true to scale construction drawing. In the classic cave map creation now the actual cave map is drawn with transparent paper and ink on the design drawing. Hand-drawn cave plans can have a very significant detail and show the " establishment " of the cave in many different shades.

For digital work can be created automatically from the measured traits a full-scale design drawing. Together with scanned sketches this serves as a basis to create a cave map with CAD support.

In both types of plan development internationally standardized signatures are generally used to facilitate all cavers understanding of the plan. Hand-drawn cave plans even those in extreme detail, but are extremely expensive to create. Digital Cave plans typically provide less detail, but without a much faster and more flexible working possible.

Hazards

In addition to general alpine dangers exist in active underwater caves still the danger of being trapped in flood and drowning at worst. This risk can, however, by taking simple precautions such as visiting such caves only in safer conditions, possibly only in winter when severe frost can be effectively dealt.

Also, the possibility of getting lost, often perceived by laymen as a particular danger just in caves, is at the appropriate experience and caution extremely low.

The greatest danger lies in the possibility of injury. On the Earth's surface is almost always necessary, the possibility of a helicopter transport. In the Earth's interior, this looks completely different: The transport of a person with such as a pelvic fracture can be very difficult and tedious. Especially in caves with many bottlenecks to overcome a few hundred meters can be under certain circumstances a day-long ordeal for the injured and his rescuers. Cave clubs therefore entertain specially trained and trained cave rescue teams, who are recruited from the respective active cavers of the association.