Terrestrial caves offer scientific and engineering insights and serve as testing grounds for future forays by humans and robots into caves on other worlds.
caves
Posted inNews
Past Seasons Hidden Underground
Belgian paleoclimatologists study a fast-growing stalagmite to glean insight into seasonal climate from centuries past.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How to Read Atmospheric History Written in Flowstones
Oxygen isotope ratios in cave deposits reflect past climates, but interpreting these data is not straightforward. A new study explores what these ratios really tell us.
Posted inNews
Sea Caves Hold Clues to Ancient Storms
Sediments dug up from sea caves help reconstruct past climate, contributing to better storm predictions.
Posted inNews
Some Caves Remove Methane from the Atmosphere, New Tests Reveal
Isotopic signatures pinpoint the sinks and surprising sources of methane in widespread karst caves. Researchers suggest that this type of cave globally removes more methane than it produces.
Posted inNews
Ice Caves atop a Volcano Give Taste of Otherworldly Science
Researchers brave perils and tumbling trash to probe glacial caves on Mount Rainier, improving their understanding of its extraordinary environment and helping to advance space exploration.
Posted inNews
Lunar Lava Tubes Could Offer Future Moon Explorers a Safe Haven
Scientists find evidence that a 50-meter-deep pit on the Moon's surface could be a skylight opening to an intact lava tube tens of kilometers long.
Posted inScience Updates
Planetary Caves' Role in Astronaut Bases and the Search for Life
2nd International Planetary Caves Conference; Flagstaff, Arizona, 20–23 October 2015
Posted inNews
Laser Beams Brighten Prospects for Cave Science
Armed with laser technology, scientists now plot and study vivid maps of underground spaces with stunning accuracy. But the equipment is costly, fragile, and hard to maneuver through tight passages.
Posted inNews
How Bat Breath and Guano Can Change the Shapes of Caves
Researchers working in caves in Borneo and elsewhere are finding evidence that biological processes shape many tropical caves by slowly eating away at surrounding rock.