River

In the image above there is water, surrounding the Boulder Cut Feature. It is part of the river which flows through the cave.

In the cave we explored, it was quite damp and in some areas there was water flowing.  The water level ranged from a few inches to multiple inches throughout the cave.  As the cave was slightly sloped, the water, moved by gravity, formed a river.  Rivers form in caves where the watertable is above the level of the cave (How Limestone Caves Are Formed).  In addition, there must be at least a tiny slope for the river to be able to flow (How Limestone Caves Are Formed). This slope is known as the gradient of a river and it can be calculated by using the formula: Elevation change in feet divided by distance in miles

1. The steeper/greater the gradient, the greater the velocity and more erosion than deposition
2. The lesser the gradient, the lesser the velocity and the more deposition over erosion