Introduction
Cave sediments are found in modern (e.g., Ford, 1988) and ancient (e.g., Jones, 1992a) karst terrains throughout the world. Although commonly ignored, these sediments are very important because “... once formed they are more protected from subsequent erosion than the contemporaneous surface sediments. They may thus preserve sediments and faunal remains for periods from which all other records are lacking” (Smart et al., 1988, p. 159).
There are three types of cave sediment (Figure C12). Exogenetic (allochthonous) sediments that come from various sources and are formed by processes that are external to the bedrock in which the cave is found. Endogenetic (autochthonous) sediments are derived from the bedrock in which the cave is found. Biological sediments are formed by animals that live in or close to the caves.
Schematic diagram showing potential source areas for cave sediments. EN=endogenic; EX=exogenic; B=biological.
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Ones, B. (1978). Cave sediments. In: Middleton, G.V., Church, M.J., Coniglio, M., Hardie, L.A., Longstaffe, F.J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-3609-5_39
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