Bulletin of the National Speleological Society - ISSN 0146-9517
Volume 28 Number 3: 179-182 - October 1966

A publication of the National Speleological Society

"Bell Holes" in Sarawak Caves
C.E. Wilford

Abstract

Vertical roof cavities, here termed 'bell holes', have developed in Sarawak caves with apparent disregard for structural features of the limestone. The bell holes vary from saucer-shaped indentations in the roof to cylindrical or slightly tapping cavities six feet high and about one foot wide. Less common complex forms consist of cavities five feet across and six feet high lined with vertical grooves. The lack of fissures at the upper end of the bell holes mitigates against the possibility that they were formed by descending aggressive water, the main agent responsible for the formation of superficially similar, but much larger, domepits. The mode of formation of bell holes is uncertain but probably they are the solutional result of eddies or currents in the original water fill of the cave.

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