11 New Frontiers in Cave and Karst Science II

Thursday, 20 March 2025
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Alleghany B/C

THE FEAR OF HALLEY'S COMET VISIT IN 1910 IS PRESERVED IN A CAVE IN SOUTHERN PUERTO RICO

Paper number: 11-6
Program: Theme Sessions
Time: 11:45 AM – 12:00 PM

Authors

Abstract

The karst constitutes approximately 28% of our Boricua (Puerto Rico) land. This geological region has a unique topography where sinkholes, caves, caverns, and aquifers are found. Ninety percent of the population lives in the karst, impacting and using this landscape. This study will explore a unique cave art found in southern Puerto Rico that depicts a comet over a tomb. Through interdisciplinary methods from speleology to archeology to astronomy that includes art interpretation, historical documentation, and demographic analysis, this study uncovered the artist’s identity, the societal context of the period, and the potential motivations behind the creation of this art and the importance of the cave for the individual. The investigation revealed a connection to the passage of Halley’s Comet in 1910 and the widespread panic it induced.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 2

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025SE-408336

© Copyright 2025 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.