Cavern
(Morphologic type)
Examples: Natural Bridge of New York,
unnamed arch
A cavern is a large subterranean cavity. Almost all caverns with two or more entrances technically
qualify as natural arches. They are included in the taxonomy as a morphologic type even though it
is usually easy to determine how any given cavern formed. The attribute that distinguishes a cavern
from other natural arches is a morphologic attribute. Light entering the opening, including
diffused and reflected light, does not reach all parts of it, i.e., an observer can be positioned
in the opening such that they are in total darkness during broad daylight. Using the standard
attribute list, a cavern is a natural arch that has the morphologic attribute of being cavernous.
Caverns can form in many different ways. As stated above, the geologic processes that contributed
to the formation of any given cavern are usually obvious. However, about the only caverns that have
much interest as natural arches are
waterfall natural bridges with cavernous subterranean
passageways. Upon occasion, some of these have been labeled by the public as natural tunnels or
even natural bridges. Even though it is clear that these features formed exactly like non-cavernous
waterfall natural bridges, they are included in the taxonomy as caverns. Indeed, any natural arch
that is cavernous is considered a cavern regardless of how it formed.
The taxonomy does not assign maturity attributes to caverns.