Glossary of caving and speleology

There are a number of terms that are used in connection with caves, caving and speleology. The following is an incomplete list.

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Airbell - An enclosed air space in a flooded tube between the water and the roof
Anthodite - A speleothem (cave formation) composed of long needle-like crystals situated in clusters which radiate outward from a common base.

Belly crawl - A passage that is very low
Biospeleology - A branch of biology dedicated to the study of organisms that live in caves and are collectively referred to as troglofauna.
Boneyard - An intricate maze of limestone with many holes where material has dissolved away.[1]
Boulder choke - A collection of large rocks or rubble that obstructs the passage of a cave or mine. In order to progress through passages, cavers often need to negotiate or clear boulder chokes.
Buffoon - Also called a speleo-buffoon or cave-buffoon, a derogatory term referring to cavers who are unprepared and make poor decisions.[2]

Cave conservancy - A specialized land trust that primarily manages caves or karst features in the United States.
Cave digging - The practice of enlarging undiscovered cave openings to allow entry.
Caver - Someone who explores caves for recreation, a synonym for spelunker[3]
Caving - the sport of exploring caves, a synonym for spelunking[4]
Cupola (cave formation) - recess, indentation, or cavity in the ceiling of a lava tube, a kind of cave formation.

Pit - A vertical space for which ascending or rappelling equipment is required.[5]
Pseudokarst - Similar to karsts, but created by different mechanisms.

Cave rescue - A highly specialized field of wilderness rescue in which injured, trapped or lost cave explorers are medically treated and extracted from various cave environments.
Resurgence - The point where water emerges from an aquifer

Speleogen - A geological formation within a cave that has been created by the removal of bedrock, rather than as a secondary deposit.
Speleogenesis - The origin and development of caves, the primary process that determines essential features of the hydrogeology of karst and guides its evolution.
Spelunker - Someone who explores caves as a hobby,[6] a synonym for caver
Spelunking - Exploring caves as a hobby,[7] a synonym for caving
Squeeze - A tight passage
Stygofauna - Small aquatic animals living in caves and aquifers
Sump - A cave that is submerged under water. A sump may be static, with no inward or outward flow, or active, with continuous through-flow. Static sumps may also be connected underwater to active stream passage. When short in length, a sump may be called a duck.
Suspension trauma - Also known as harness hang syndrome (HHS), or orthostatic intolerance, is an effect which occurs when the human body is held upright without any movement for a period of time.
Swallow-hole - The point where water drains from the surface into a cave system

Whaletail - A type of descender produced from a block of aluminium that applies a variable degree of friction.[9]
Window - A hole in a thin wall that connects two chambers or passages.[10]

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