Leitmotiv wrote:What literature exists for the definition of a cavern? My understanding is that it is pretty broad and generic, often referring to a cave itself, or a large room in a cave, though Wikipedia suggests it is a specific type of cave - a solution cave. This seems to be in error and I aim to fix it, unless I am wrong. Any help?
Like so many words in the English language, "cavern" is used in a multitude of ways related to "caves." As a cave diver, "cavern" has a very specific definition as being within the daylight zone of an underwater cave. Even that has restrictions with depth and length from the entrance, as well as visibility. What is within the cavern zone when the water quality is good, is not when the water becomes murky. In the cave diving sense, a cavern could be part of or the entirety of a lava tube.
The National Park Service has Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The famous cave is Carlsbad Cavern and it is a humongous cave, by any measure. The other karst features in the park include Spider Cave, Lechuguilla, and they are not named "caverns."