cave collapse
Underground ceiling failure
Cave collapse is the structural failure of a cave's roof, walls, or floor, causing rock and sediment to fall inward.
Natural collapses create sinkholes when underground voids give way.
In mining and spelunking, cave collapse is a serious hazard: Three miners were trapped by a cave collapse.
The term also describes deliberate destruction of caves or tunnels.
- rockfallCollapsed cliff material
- rock slideMass of falling stones
- rubbleBroken building fragments
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- darknessTotal absence of light
trapped · trapped miners · debris · suffocation · tunnel · narrow passage · burial · buried alive · miners · rescue · search and rescue · emergency response · rumble · crushing · dust · limestone · unstable · structural failure