29 US-Mexico Exchange on Cave and Karst Science and Conservation

This session welcomes submissions in fields related with cave and karst sciences applied in Mexico, with a special interest in showcasing present or past US-Mexico binational collaborations, inter- and multidisciplinary studies and community outreach projects.

Thursday, 23 April 2026
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
LMH, Meeting Room

Using structural analysis to understand the fault and fracture arrangement of the Cheve Karst System, Oaxaca, México

Paper number: 29-4
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 2:35 PM – 2:55 PM

Authors

Abstract

The Cheve Karst System (CKS) is located in the north sector of Oaxaca, México. Currently, this cave has a depth of -1530 m and a length of ~89 km. However, the hydrological base-level supported by the Santo Domingo River indicates a potential depth of -2600 m. For 30 years, cave explorers directed by Bill Stone have explored the cave to its current depth. Two years ago, a group of Mexican and USA researchers joined efforts to study the origin, evolution and possible continuation of CKS.

This work examines the geological configuration on the surface and in All in a Day´s Work Cave (ADWC) down to the area where it connects with the CKS. The host rock corresponds to calcimylonitic rocks, dolomitized limestone and sandy limestone, affected by the Mexican Orogeny. This event generated a fold series, interbedding shear zones and thrust faults with tectonic transport to the east. Both caves are developed in two main fault systems that cut the shortening structures: the first corresponds with the main trend of conduits related to the NNW-SSE Oaxaca Fault zone, and the second corresponds with E-W strike-slip faults that typically generate small conduits and connections.

The fracture intensity and connectivity analysis of all cave conduits indicate that the long passages of CKS correspond to a sinistral shear zone. Nevertheless, the fault kinematics analysis indicates an important normal displacement, corroborating a reactivation. The characteristics and development of ADWC are related to the E-W faults overlapping, which generate displacement of the Oaxaca Fault zone. This arrangement supports carbonate dissolution and mechanical erosion related to the water flux mixed with sediments, expanding the galleries and conduits in the last sector of the cave, increasing the probability of continuations to the north.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 3

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026CD-410923

© Copyright 2026 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.