Bulletin of the National Speleological Society - ISSN 0146-9517
Number 13: 36-43 - December 1951

A publication of the National Speleological Society

Mechanics of Cavern Breakdown
William E. Davies

Abstract

The fearsome possibility of the collapse of caves is one of the first thoughts of the inexperienced person when contemplating the activities of the speleologist. Cavern collapse in the catastrophic proportions mentally conceived by the uninitiated, however, is practicaly unknown in the history of subterranean exploration. The author shows herein that collapse, when it does occur, follows definite mechanical laws and that its proability can, at least in some instances, be predicted sufficiently in advance of actual occurrence as to preclude the possibility of any great danger to the explorer.

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