A Beginner's Guide Through the Passages of Speleology
If you've found your way to this page, it is safe to say you're interested in caves and karst. And you've found the right place to find some answers. Your guide for this trip is me, Webster the webworm. Yes, there really is a creature called a webworm, (actually a gnat larva with the scientific name of Macrocera nobilis) which spends its youth in Midwestern caves. Like the webworm, many Missouri cavers spent their youth fascinated by caves. Unlike me, most of them grew up and retained their fascination with the underground and the karst regions of caves, springs, and sinkholes.
Come along, and crawl through the pages below. I believe you will find it a most fascinating journey. Caves and karst are a most precious and fragile non-renewable resource. More than that, it's my home. Be gentle if you venture there, and leave no trace of your passing.
The Basics of Speleology
What is Speleology?
Speleologist, Spelunker or Caver?
Caves, Karst and Springs
Cave Geology
Karst
Springs in the Ozarks
Missouri Geology Through The Ages
Cave Life
Bioinventory--Cave Critter Science
Cave Critters
Cave Ecology
Caves and People
A Short Missouri Cave History
Cave Managing Agencies
Cave Cleaup and Restoration
Caving and The Law
Caving Safely
Missouri Show Caves
Cave Survey
Caving Organizations
Caving Organizations
National Speleological Society
Mississippi Valley-Ozark Region (MVOR)
Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy
Missouri Speleological Survey
St. Louis Area Caving Grottos
Other Missouri Resources
Need Information on Paper?
Jo Schaper's Missouri World
2003 Jo Schaper.
