Pattern and antiquity of sinkholes along an alluviated karstified valley: Friars Hole, West Virginia.

Along the dry valley floor a series of limestone inliers are exposed, where streams sink into an extensive cave system. Once abandoned by sinking streams, the alluvial flood-plains which shroud the limestone are progressively dissected by sinkhole development. Solution sinkholes have developed away from the valley sides, while suffosion sinkholes have developed close to the valley margins. U/U and U/th dating and paleomagnetic analyses of speleothems have shown that the cave is more than 1.65 Ma old. -from Authors