Abstract
Knowledge about karst in South America is still limited due to the paucity of cave exploration and the lack of scientific assessment of most cave regions. However, the South American continent presents favorable conditions for the development of hypogene cave systems, especially ancient ones, now decoupled from routes of cave-forming fluids. The majority of recognized hypogene caves occur near the borders of cratonic areas, in Precambrian carbonates. The best-known example comprises the large maze caves (TBV-TBR) near the village of Laje dos Negros, northeastern Brazil, and the hypogene karst of the Vazante area, south-central Brazil. Although other areas have not been subjected to detailed speleogenetic studies, several other sites present caves with hypogene characteristics, such as in the Iron Quadrangle area (state of Minas Gerais), northern state of Bahia, and western states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, in Brazil. In the Argentinian Patagonia, associated with the Andes Mountain chain, the Las Brujas Cave has been interpreted as a hypogene system. An isolated occurrence of possible quartzite hypogene cave is also described.
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