Passages and Pits

Natural caves have diverse spatial structures, ranging from single-passage river caves and chessboard-like labyrinths to complex sponge-like mazes. Cavers must find their way through circular tubes, high fissures, winding canyons, tight squeezes, collapsed areas, and cathedral-like vaults. Clearly, caves ‘do not care’ whether their passages allow humans to move comfortably and horizontally. Often, water prefers the vertical dimension. The result are deep pits, where cavers use ropes to rappel ‘like a spider on its silky thread’, as the most common metaphor in this context goes, or tall domes that require advanced climbing skills. The arrangement and shapes of these passages and pits give each cave its unique character.