ABSTRACT
In recent years, some large-scale quarry caverns were found in Zhejiang Province, South China (Yang et al., 2003). For instance, the Longyou Caverns were constructed about 2000 years ago at Longyou (Li et al., 2009), Feifengyan Caverns were originally excavated 700 years ago at Xianju (Guo, 2006), Shepan Island Caverns at Sanmen (Zhang, 2010), Panlong Caverns at Huangyan (Yang et al., 2007), and Changyu Caverns at Wenling (Yang et al., 2011). There are also some ancient quarrying caverns abroad, which form the integral part of historic sites. They include the bell-shaped caverns of Bet Guvrin were excavated 1300 years ago in Israel (Tsesarsky et al., 2000; Hatzor et al., 2002), the Wieliczka Salt Mine, a world heritage site functioning continuously since the Middle Ages in Poland (Zuber et al., 2000), and the Basillica Cistern at Istanbul, Turkey (https:// english.istanbul.gov.tr).
