Crevice-type caves as indicators of slope failures :a review paying a special attention to the flysch Carpathians of Czechia, Poland, and Slovakia

Abstract

The occurrence and evolution of crevice-type caves is one of the most spectacular phenomena in the progression of slope failures in distinct types of rocks. Crevices are common manifestations of disintegration of anisotropic flysch rocks in the area of the Carpathians. This paper presents the issues of the close connection between the evolution of gravitational slope deformations and the formation of crevice-type caves. Furthermore, it presents a contemporary view on the regional distribution of crevice-type caves in this area and outlines the recent progress and future possibilities of the investigation of this phenomenon. Based on the vertical distribution of different morphological zones within the caves and the main modes of their evolution, we can distinguish three basic types of crevice-type caves: (i) translational/spreading type, (ii) toppling type and (iii) rotational type.