Cave surveying

Cave surveying measures underground passages and features to produce maps, plans, and three-dimensional models. It combines positional measurements with descriptions of passage shape and geology.

Cave survey station: A marked or temporary point used as an endpoint for measurements in a cave survey. Stations connect successive measurements into a route through the cave.
Surveying: The science and practice of determining positions, distances, and shapes through measurement. Cave surveying adapts general surveying principles to underground spaces.
Cave map: A scaled representation of a cave’s passages, chambers, and selected features. A cave map is the most familiar finished product of a survey.
Compass-and-tape surveying: A manual surveying approach using a compass for direction and a tape for distance. It is the traditional baseline against which newer cave-survey methods are compared.
British Cave Research Association cave survey grades: A system classifying cave survey quality by the instruments and methods used. Its grades communicate the precision and methods behind a cave survey.
Compass surveying: A surveying method that determines direction with a compass and distance with measured lengths. Compass bearings establish the direction of each cave passage leg.
Azimuth: A horizontal angle measured clockwise from a reference direction, usually north. Azimuths express the compass direction of cave survey legs.
Cave plan: A horizontal projection showing the layout of cave passages and chambers. Plan views reveal passage arrangement without depicting full vertical structure.
DistoX: An electronic device that measures distance, azimuth, and inclination for cave surveying. It combines several measurements in one instrument, unlike separate manual tools.
洞穴测量 (Chinese cave surveying): The practice of measuring and mapping caves in Chinese speleological work. Chinese cave surveys provide examples of mapping across extensive karst regions.

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