ABSTRACT
In caves fed by rapid runoff, water is injected into openings in the surrounding aquifer in the same manner that bank storage is delivered by rising surface rivers. As the floodwaters subside, and throughout the period of base flow, water drains back into the conduits from the surrounding aquifer, helping to sustain the flow of cave streams. This frequent injection of solutionally aggressive floodwater produces peripheral mazes, pockets, and blind fissures superimposed on the original passages (see Patterns in Caves).
