Subdued surface expression of deep cave collapse

Lipar, Matej (author), Leopold, Matthias (author), Webb, John (author), Ciglič, Rok (author), Tičar, Jure (author), Zorn, Matija (author), Stepišnik, Uroš (author), Jelovčan, Matej (author), Barham, Milo (author), Dolenec, Matej (author), Miklavc, Primož (author), Popit, Tomislav (author), Šmuc, Andrej (author), Zhao, Jian (author), Ferk, Mateja (author)

Cave systems can be difficult to recognise where karst landforms are subdued or overprinted with other landscape processes. Subtle linear depressions on carbonate platforms are commonly interpreted as fluvial or tectonic landforms, but may also mark collapse above underlying cave systems. We test this on the Nullarbor Plain, southern Australia, a stable >200,000 km² carbonate platform exposed for >14 Myr. Integrating morphometrics, electrical resistivity tomography, passive seismic profiling, cave records, cliff exposures and sedimentology, we show that kilometre-scale, shallow, sediment-filled trenches are surface expressions of vertically propagated collapse and sagging above deep cave conduits. These depressions lack integrated drainage, downstream sediment transport and sedimentological evidence of channelised flow; instead, they overlie vertically extensive low-resistivity zones, align with mapped caves and collapse dolines, and project to cliff-face exposed stratal deformation. The Nullarbor trenches provide diagnostic criteria for recognising subdued cave-collapse systems on Earth and an analogue for interpreting linear depressions on other rocky planetary surfaces.

• Language: English
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: NTF - Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering; FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Author Accepted Manuscript
• Article acceptance date: 17.09.2026
• Publication date: 01.01.2026
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 10 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 7
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-188787
• UDC: 55
• ISSN on article: 2662-4435
• DOI: 10.1038/s43247-026-04016-7
• COBISS.SI-ID: 291779587
• Publication date in RUL: 28.09.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Communications earth & environment
• Shortened title: Commun. Earth Environ.
• Publisher: 2020-
• ISSN: 2662-4435
• COBISS.SI-ID: 80619779

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: geologija, geomorfologija, brezstrope jame, jamski sistemi