Essential Guide: Caving (Essential Guides (Stackpole)) - Softcover

Swart, Dr Peter; Swart, P K

 
9780811720526: Essential Guide: Caving (Essential Guides (Stackpole))

Synopsis

This beginner's guide to speleology emphasizes safety and protection of fragile ecosystems. Learn how to plan a caving trip from start to finish. Instructions show how to maneuver through small areas and vertical caves using ropes and how to rig a pitch for ascending and descending a vertical climb. Knot-tying diagrams aid the first-time spelunker. The book gives background on the two main types of cave passages, vadose and phreatic, and tips on spotting rock formations and cave decorations such as flowstone, stalagmites, helicites, and rimstone pools. Sections on cave surveying and photography describe how more advanced cavers augment their experiences underground. Includes contact information for caving organizations in Australia, South America, Europe, Africa, and the United States.

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About the Author

Peter Swart is a an active caver and member of the South African Spelaeological Association. He started caving in 1973 by exploring the caves above Kalk Bay, Cape Town, in his native South Africa. His interest in cave exploration spawned an interest in cave survey (drawing maps of caves) and this has been his major focus since the early 1980s. In addition, his interest led to an interest in bats and today he is involved with BAT, a conservation organization which documents bat roosts and furthers the educational aspect of bat biology for school children. Most of Peter's writing on caving has been done for scientific purposes in the form of nature conservation reports. He has jointly written articles for Cave and Karst Science, the scientific journal of the British Cave Research Association. As a private project, he has started his own caving website.

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Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9781859749081: Caving (Adventure Sports)

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  1859749089 ISBN 13:  9781859749081
Publisher: New Holland Publishers Ltd, 2002
Softcover