1. Models offered by natural caverns: caves

1.1 Types of land concerned

Caves have been frequented by man since prehistoric times (the so-called "cave man"), as well as by many animals, such as the Entremont bears in the pre-Alpine Chartreuse massif. Most of these cavities, which can be very large, are the result of the dissolution of rocks that are at least partially soluble: saline rocks, rock salt, gypsum and, above all, carbonate rocks, whose solubility increases significantly with carbonic acid content (table 1 ). As the vast majority of these cavities are found in limestone rocks, they are often referred to as karstic, after the Karst, the limestone mountainous region of the Alpine chain in Slovenia and neighbouring countries. Non-karst natural cavities include...