Cavitonics: Using caves in active tectonic studies (Western Carpathians, case study)

The aim of the contribution is to demonstrate the usefulness of the cave passage pattern analysis for neotectonics in suitable regions. The principal presumption is that the orientation of cave passages is perpendicular to the horizontal minimum stress (Shmin). The comparison of the obtained data with the neotectonic structures and the orientation of the Pliocene - Quaternary principal stress field (Shmin) is presented. The back-arc extension dominated in the Western Carpathians during the Pliocene-Early Pleistocene. The orogen-parallel extension has been determined for central part of the Western Carpathians (Slovakia) for the Late Pleistocene-Holocene. The results revealed a link between the passage patterns of the Western Carpathian caves and orientation of the principal extension obtained from structural data.