Name for a cave debris pile???

[Rick Brinkman]

Is there a name for a pile of rocks and debris that have come in to the cave from a chute in the ceiling? (Kind of like what would happen if you never removed the dirty clothes from under a laundry chute.)

I think that they are call "cave buhdda's" in Wind Cave, SD - but I was hoping that there would be a better name out there somewhere.

[wyandottecaver]

I've seen them referred to debris cones or debris slopes depending on morphology.

[batrotter]

Big ole pile of rocks?

[Scoon1]

Talus is a good word.

Geol. a) a pile of rock debris at the foot of a cliff b) a mantle of rock fragments on a slope below a rock face

[Evan G]

Scree, talus, and detritic cone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scree

There are Buddhas in Horsethief-Bighorn system but they are mostly Rock and surface dirt mix together. Most likely they are the bottom of an old surface sinkhole that filled with the Amsten formation above the Madison Limestone.

[Rick Brinkman]

Thanks everyone! That helps.

[Larry E. Matthews]

Yes, the term Talus Cone would be the best choice.

They can be a few feet high, if they are composed of small material, up to over 100 feet high in big rooms and with bigger material.

Larry E. Matthews
NSS #6792-F
Professional Geologist

[Phil Winkler]

There is a huge scree slope at the foot of the Lepineaux Shaft in the Pierre St. Martin in France. Moving down it can resemble skiing on stones.

Here is a bit of a description from the Brit Eldon Pothole Club site:

A long-ish handline climb from the bottom of Navarre leads to the top of Salle Lepineaux and this was the first place that I realised just how big this place is. The roof is way out of sight and despite spending a little time looking for it I couldn't really see where the Lepineaux shaft enters. The scree slope that leads down to the bottom of Salle Lepineaux is massive and I'll not forget the sight of twelve lights descending down the hillside. We passed the Loubens memorial, through Salle Elizabeth Casteret, through Salle Loubens and into the Metro. This is mostly straightforward.......