Primary Caves

Primary caves are formed together with the surrounding rocks. When the rock is formed, the space of the cave remains empty. The cave ist formed in the primary stage of cave development, the formation of the rock itself. Typical primary caves are:

lava tubes
blister caves (volcanic gas bubbles).
tufa caves.
reef caves.

There are many different types of primary caves but their number is very small.

Examples

lava tube: Ka'eleku Caverns, a lava tube on Maui, Hawai'i.
volcanic gas bubble: Cenobio de Varerón on Gran Canaria, Spain.
tufa cave: Olga cave, Germany.
reef cave: Altenstein Cave, Germany.

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