Return to the Surface

After a waist deep wade in freezing water I reemerged at a passage junction. The cave passages here are water worn (vadose) and they follow along natural joints in the rock. In beds of sedimentary rock the sheets are actually fractured by weaknesses that run in somewhat predictable directions, this is what is meant by joints. Sometimes there are several different joints running parallel to each other in close proximity. as water penetrates limestone along its vertical cleavages (joints) and horizontal separations (bedding planes), cave tunnels will develop in those places.