Subdued surface expression of deep cave collapse

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

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.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Vrsta gradiva: Članek v reviji
• Tipologija: 1.01 - Izvirni znanstveni članek
• Organizacija: NTF - Naravoslovnotehniška fakulteta ; FF - Filozofska fakulteta
• Status publikacije: Objavljeno
• Različica publikacije: Recenzirani rokopis
• Datum sprejetja članka: 17.09.2026
• Datum objave: 01.01.2026
• Leto izida: 2026
• Št. strani: 10 str.
• Številčenje: Vol. 7
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-188787
• UDK: 55
• ISSN pri članku: 2662-4435
• DOI: 10.1038/s43247-026-04016-7
• COBISS.SI-ID: 291779587
• Datum objave v RUL: 28.09.2026

Gradivo je del revije

• Naslov: Communications earth & environment
• Skrajšan naslov: Commun. Earth Environ.
• Založnik: 2020-
• ISSN: 2662-4435
• COBISS.SI-ID: 80619779

Licence

• Licenca: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva 4.0 Mednarodna
• Povezava: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.sl
• Opis: To je standardna licenca Creative Commons, ki daje uporabnikom največ možnosti za nadaljnjo uporabo dela, pri čemer morajo navesti avtorja.

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Ključne besede: geologija, geomorfologija, brezstrope jame, jamski sistemi