Glossary of Karst and Cave Terms

Field, M.S., 1999, A lexicon of cave and karst terminology with special reference to environmental karst hydrology: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for Environmental Assessment, EPA/600/R-99/006, 201 p.

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Term	Description
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capillary percolation	See imbibition.		View
capillary potential	The scalar quantity that represents the work required to move a unit mass of water from the soil to a ...		View
capillary pressure	The difference in pressure across the interface between two immiscible fluid phases jointly occupying the interstices of a porous medium ...		View
capillary rise	The height above a free water surface to which water will rise by capillary action [22]. Synonymous with height of ...		View
capillary stalagmite	Hollow stalagmite formed by saturated karst water pushed up through capillaries and small cracks in a sinter crust covering permeable ...		View
capillary tension	See moisture tension.		View
capillary water	1. Water held in the soil above the phreatic surface by capillary forces [22]. 2. Soil water above hydroscopic moisture ...		View
carabiner	An oval of steel or aluminum with a movable spring-loaded gate on one side. A locking carabiner is one where ...		View
carbide lamp	A carbide lamp, also known as a miners' carbide lamp or acetylene lamp was introduced into mine use at about ...		View
carbide, calcium carbide	A compound (CaC2) of grayish color that reacts with water to produce acetylene gas and calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2] [13]. Commonly ...		View
carbonate	1. A salt or ester of carbonic acid; a compound containing the radical 31 CO3 -2, such as calcium carbonate, ...		View
carbonate hardness	Hardness of water due to presence of dissolved bicarbonates of calcium and magnesium which can be removed by boiling and ...		View
carbonate rock	A rock that consists of one or more carbonate minerals. Carbonate rock successions (or sequences) are those in which carbonate ...		View
carbonate-fluorapatite	A cave mineral - Ca5(PO4,CO3)3F [11].		View
carbonate-hydroxylapatite	A cave mineral - Ca5(PO4,CO3)3(OH) [11].		View
carbonic acid dissolution	Dissolution of calcium carbonate by carbon dioxide in aqueous solution, loosely termed carbonic acid, is the dominant reaction in karst ...		View
carnivore	An animal that lives by eating the flesh of other animals [23]. See also herbivore; insectivore; omnivore.		View
cascading water	In reference to wells, ground water which trickles or pours down the casing or uncased borehole above the water level ...		View
casing	Permanent liner of a well [16].		View
casing joint	Welded or threaded connection for tubular casing [16].		View
casing, surface	That part of a well casing that extends above land surface [16].		View
catch basin	1. A reservoir or basin into which surface water may drain. 2. A basin to collect and retain material from ...		View
catchment	(Great Britain.) 1. An area into which surface water may drain. 2. A depression that collects rainwater (e.g., reservoir).		View
cation	An ion having a positive charge and, in electrolytes, characteristically moving towards a negative electrode [6].		View
cation exchange	Ion exchange process in which cations in solution are exchanged for other cations from an ion exchanger [6].		View
cation exchange capacity	The sum total of exchangeable cations that a porous medium can absorb. Expressed in moles of ion charge per kilogram ...		View
causse	(French.) A limestone plateau in the southeastern part of the central massif of France characterized by closed depressions, caves, and ...		View
cave	1. 'A natural home in the ground, large enough for human entry' is probably the most useful definition. This covers ...		View
cave balloon	See cave blister.		View
cave blister	1. A small pimplelike cave formation, roughly oval in shape, generally loose, and having a core of mud [10]. 2. ...		View

Glossary references