File:Lechuguilla_Cave_Pearlsian_Gulf.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ35509· pop 142· linked from 2,997 articles

cave

Also known as cavern

thumb|Lechuguilla Cave, [[New Mexico, United States]]

AI overview

A cave is a natural underground hollow or chamber formed in rock, such as the Lechuguilla Cave shown in New Mexico. Caves matter because they serve as important geological features, provide habitats for unique wildlife, and offer opportunities for scientific study and exploration.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

14,895 papers

Cave Microbes as a Potential Source of Drugs Development in the Modern Era.ReviewMicrobial ecology · 2022Zada S, Sajjad W, Rafiq M et al.DOI: 10.1007/s00248-021-01889-3
Revisiting the cave-dwelling sand flies (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) from Brazil: Diversity and potential role in the transmission of Leishmania Ross, 1903 (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae).Medical and veterinary entomology · 2022Dutra-Rêgo F, Freire ML, Carvalho GML et al.DOI: 10.1111/mve.12578
Bubble-induced cave collapse.PloS one · 2015Girihagama L, Nof D, Hancock CDOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122349
Cave Thiovulum (Candidatus Thiovulum stygium) differs metabolically and genomically from marine species.The ISME journal · 2023Bizic M, Brad T, Ionescu D et al.DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01350-4
Cave microorganisms: hidden players in global greenhouse gas cycling and climate regulation.ReviewCurrent opinion in microbiology · 2026Martin-Pozas T, Cuezva S, Fernandez-Cortes A et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2026.102707
The ticking clock in the dark: Review of biological rhythms in cave invertebrates.ReviewChronobiology international · 2024de Souza PE, Souza-Silva M, Ferreira RLDOI: 10.1080/07420528.2024.2348010
Cave beetle lineages gained genes before going down under: An example of repeated genomic exaptation?Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution · 2024Friedrich MDOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23245
Gut microbiota reflect adaptation of cave-dwelling tadpoles to resource scarcity.The ISME journal · 2024Zhu W, Chang L, Shi S et al.DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrad009

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Wikidata facts

Image: Lechuguilla Cave Pearlsian Gulf.jpg

Show 5 more facts

OpenStreetMap tag: natural=cave_entrance
Commons category: Caves
equivalent class: dbpedia.org/ontology/Cave
Commons gallery: Cave
exact match: purl.obolibrary.org/obo/ENVO_00000067

Sources (7)

via Wikidata · CC0

~19 min read

Article

19 sections

Contents

Formation types
Solutional
Primary
Sea or littoral
Erosional
Glacier
Fracture
Talus<span class="anchor" id="Talus_cave"></span>
Anchialine
Physical patterns
Geographic distribution
Records and superlatives
Five longest surveyed
Ecology
Archaeological and cultural importance
Caves and acoustics
See also
Notes
References

thumb|Lechuguilla Cave, [[New Mexico, United States]]

Caves and caverns are natural voids under the surface of the Earth and have also been observed in other rocky worlds (e.g., on Mars). Caves often form by the weathering of rock and can extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance underground (such as rock shelters). Caves which extend farther underground than the opening is wide are called endogene caves.