The development of limestone cave systems in the dimensions of length and depth

Karst caves are defined as solutional cavities >5–16 mm in diameter and discussion is limited to cases where such continuously extend to a surficial input or output or both. Three opposed sets of general genetic hypotheses ('the classical hypotheses') have been presented for such caves, arguing that the majority develop (1) in the vadose zone, (2) in the phreatic zone, or (3) proximate and parallel to a water table. It is contended here that …