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The term “speleology”is derived from the Greek ‘spelaion’ (cave) and ‘logos’ (study). Some definitions came up with the time. One of the brodest and most synthetic is that of Géze (1968), which has been internationally accepted. According with the author, the “speleology”is the discipline concerned with the study of caves, of their genesis and evolutions, of the physical environment which they represent, of their past and present biological populations, and of the means and techniques appropriate to study them”. For this definition, it can subdivide this disciplines into scientific speleology and technical and sporting speleology. The second one serves as a mean for the first, while each can be subdiveded in other disciplines. SCIENTIFIC SPELEOLOGY 1. Physical Speleology – corresponds to Karstology – the study of the relief forms within which caves are formed; the geospeleology – the study of mineral deposition in caves; the subterranean climatology – the study of the cave environment and its dynamics, including matters of temperature, humidity, and circulation of air; and the subterranean hydrology – the study of the circulation of the subterranean waters in cave areas. 2. Biological Speleology or biospeleology – the study of the subterranean flora and fauna in the cave environment. 3. Speleopalaeontology – the study of the fossil flora and fauna. 4. Anthropospeleology – the study of the relationship in historic and prehistoric times between man and the cave environment. Here it is included speleomythology – which is devoted to the understanding of myths, legends, and religious pratices associated with caves; and the economic speleology – which is concerned with the various uses made by man of these environment. TECHNICAL AND SPORTING SPELEOLOGY 1. Exploration of Caves – it brings together activities concerned with the discovery of caves, the direct reconnaissance of each one through some techniques of speleometry, maping and measuring its sapces. 2. Speleodocumantation – activities concerned with records of the sound, written and visual records of the cave environment, including speleophotography (mean speciallity of our Espírito da Terra group) and speleocinematography, and also speleological cartography (maps, plans, and sketches which provide an adequate speleometric survey of caves). 3. Applied Speleology – unites those aspects related to use of the underground environment, such as management for tourist purposes, exploitation of limestone or cave water-catchment areas, and the setting up of underground laboratoty. 4. Adventure Speleology – uses techniques to go through a cave, withouth worring about study and avaliation of the caves. As may be seen, the field of action is extremely broad and complex, and demands from the speleologist more than just curiosity and physical skill, also necessary are scientific competence and technical experience. It is thus convenient to distinguish the speleologist from others who simple happen to frequent caves, but in terms of dicovery and exploratio, a good deal is owed to the aforementioned cavers. From the point of view of sportsmen, the speleology does not encourage the competiton, the challenge, or the conquest of nature, but rather the teamwork, looking forward the observation, the documentation and the contemplation. As Von Kruger (1938), “every explorer must show courage without making a show of courage”, or the brief and happy phrase of R.Ginet: “A cave is not a speleodrome”, and also “your goal is the unknow, your goal is the knowledge” (Clayton F. Lino).
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