Speleologist - who is this? What does a caver do? What is a caver studying?

Speleologist - who is this? A similar question arises among many people who have heard the name of one of the most dangerous and useful professions. The thing is that this is not the most common work, there are not so many real professionals, so it has not received wide popularity. Cavers are brave, nature lovers who are not used to sitting at home in front of the TV. These people are constantly on the road, they test their own strengths and nerves, make their way to the most dangerous places on the planet, risking their own lives.

The meaning of the work of cavers is to study the caves, the causes and mechanisms of their occurrence. To some, such work seems like a waste of time, but in reality it is not. Cavers are practitioners providing research material to historians, archaeologists, geologists, and other theorists.

What is the science of speleology?

Speleology is a branch of geology that studies the formation, evolution, age, ecosystem, and morphology of caves of natural origin. This science is very important because it allows you to study biology, history, hydrology, archeology, paleontology in more detail. Speleology also involves the study of groundwater migration, the search for sources of geysers, emissions of natural gases, magma. If most scientists are engaged in research only on paper or in equipped laboratories, then cavers are constantly on the move, traveling around the world.

Who is a caver?

Often you can hear the question: "The caver - who is this and what is he doing?" This is not surprising, because this profession is quite rare and unpopular. Specialists in this area are rarely graduated from the Faculty of Geology. Nevertheless, among professional cavers there are people with the corresponding diploma, although most of them are physicists. Such specialists serve for the benefit of economics and science, helping in the development and prosperity of these areas.

Representatives of the science of speleology can not sit for days in libraries, since their main production is the materials collected in the expeditions. They do not make assumptions, but seek evidence of scientific hypotheses. After all, only samples of cultures or rocks found in caves can refute or confirm the veracity of a particular theory invented by a theorist.

Those who wish to devote themselves to this science, it is important to know what the speleologist does, because this profession requires certain skills. A specialist must be strong both physically and mentally, because often you have to work in conditions of increased risk. Speleologists are mostly extreme adventurers. This profession does not imply comfort, a normalized working day, and the expeditions themselves can last more than one month, so specialists must be prepared for lengthy business trips.

Caver equipment

What the caver deals with involves not only certain skills, but also equipment. First, you should purchase suitable clothing. Most conveniently, a person will feel in overalls, the material should let air through, keep warm, protecting from dampness, and not cause allergies or irritation. The safety system should be designed for each member of the expedition and for the whole team.

Exploring caves is work in the dark, which means you should get a high-quality flashlight with a set of spare batteries and lamps. A light rope is also needed, cavers fasten one edge near the entrance, unraveling the coil as it moves, it is easier to find a way out and not get lost in the labyrinth of countless passages. What the speleologist does also involves constant descents and climbs, sometimes along a sheer wall, so the equipment must have a strong and long rope. For research, you will also need paper, a pencil, a compass and a map. Of course, you need to take care of the security features.

Caving

Speleology is not only a necessary and serious science, but also a very fascinating activity for people with an active lifestyle. Today, speleotourism is very popular among people who want to get acquainted with the caves, look at the underground rivers and lakes, grottoes, steep wells, and also understand what the speleologist does. The specialist has research tasks, he crawls into the cave to make a route, get natural minerals, make some kind of historical and archaeological finds.

The caver works in extreme conditions requiring physical strength, dexterity, self-control, resourcefulness and quick reaction. Speleotourism, of course, is not suitable for weak and sick people, but also does not require professional skills and craftsmanship, tourists go accompanied by a specialist on well-studied routes and simply contemplate the surrounding beauty. At the same time, nothing threatens people's lives.

Speleotourism features

"Speleologist - who is this?" - so often asked young people who first heard the name of this dangerous, but very interesting profession. Not only professionals, but also amateurs can get acquainted with the masterpieces created by nature itself. Speleotourism has arisen specifically for this purpose. This direction has some features that need to be considered by all expedition members:

• The caves are dark, so you need to stock up on sources of artificial lighting.
• The complexity of the route depends on the topography of the route; narrow slots, deep wells, underground lakes or rivers can occur on the path.
• During the expedition there is a high degree of autonomy.
• The caves have low temperature and high humidity.

The beauty that opens the gaze of cavers

The caver is a profession that reveals the unprecedented beauty of the underworld. Water, year after year, over the centuries, tirelessly creates unique masterpieces. Some caves, especially the old ones, have great depths to get into the hall; specialists have to squeeze through narrow crevices, make their way through manholes, and plunge into the cold water of wells. But what he saw is worth all of this, because sometimes there are such galleries, the beauty of which cannot be compared to any royal palace.

The formation of caves never stops, droplets of water passing through the thickness of the earth condense on the walls, dissolve minerals, forming solutions, from which crystals then fall out. Helictites, stalagmites, stalactites, corallites, striking in their beauty and grandeur, are created not in a year or a decade, but in millennia, growing drop by drop. Having visited at least once in a cave, you will understand what people in the caver profession do — these daredevils explore the underworld.

Speleotherapy

Caves are interesting not only for scientists and tourists, but also for sick people, because their unique microclimate can heal. Speleotherapy arose long ago; its history goes back more than 2.5 thousand years. It involves a long stay of a person in the microclimate of salt mines, karst caves. Underground thermal springs are also used for treatment, since they are characterized by radioactivity. What the caver studies is for the benefit not only of science, but also of medicine. Millions of people around the world have recovered from respiratory diseases, strengthened their immunity, and recovered. Natural caves are one of the best climatic resorts.

What does an oceanologist do?

A caver is a person studying the underworld, but who is an oceanologist? Already from the name it is clear that his field of activity is connected with the ocean. Such specialists monitor the state of the shelf and the bottom, study representatives of the underwater fauna and flora, and observe the processes taking place deep under water. Materials obtained by oceanologists are actively used in hydraulic engineering, fisheries, and biology. Theorists make predictions, but practitioners present real facts that allow you to develop a strategy to save the endangered representatives of the underwater fauna.

What unites an oceanologist and a caver?

Who is the oceanologist, caver, and what do they do? To uninformed people, it may seem that this is completely meaningless work, more like a hobby, providing for interesting pastime or shooting of documentaries under water or in caves. In fact, the work of both cavers and oceanologists is used by many branches of science. Thanks to professionals, new facts from the past are discovered, the present is presented more clearly, reliable forecasts for the future are made. An oceanologist and caver are extreme people who love dangerous adventures and risk.