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"Speleogenesis: Evolution of Karst Aquifers" edited by Alexander B. Klimchouk, Derek C. Ford, Arthur N. Palmer, and Wolfgang Dreybrodt.
Reviewed by Allen F. Agnew, PG, Ph.D., Courtesy Professor of Geology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331; (541) 752-0533.
Many mainstream hydrogeologists have not paid adequate attention to advances in cave science during the last 20 years. Fluid-flow control by fractures in carbonate bedrock have been underappreciated by many modelers. Literature available in this critical area of hydrogeology "rarely displays an advanced understanding of the processes of conduit formation and their characteristics," according to the editors of this useful compendium.
Speleogenesis: Evolution of Karst Aquifers contains papers by 44 authors from 15 countries, prepared in 1994-98 at the instigation of the International Speleological Union's Commission on Karst Hydrogeology and Speleogenesis. It summarizes modern knowledge about cave origins, and the role of speleogenesis in the evolution of karst aquifers.
After an introduction by the four editors, the book contains seven...