The traditional Three-dimensional (3D) model for stability analysis of a large underground cavern group only includes the main powerhouse, transformer chamber, tailrace surge tank, electrical wire hall, and part diversion tunnel tailwater tunnel. Other caverns excavation are not taken into consideration, which is inconsistent with actual project. In this study, 3D Finite Element Method (FEM) mo...

Caverns are generally formed by a combination of regional geological action and groundwater, their improper treatment will inevitably lead to dangerous conditions in underground works. To detect the specific failure mechanism tunnel-surrounding rock induced invisible caverns, true triaxial compression test is conducted, accompanied acoustic emission technology an internal borehole camera, for m...

Underground TWH (Two-well-horizontal) salt caverns are an ideal storage medium for large-scale energy storage, having large usable volumes and high construction efficiency. Different tubing/oil-blanket lifting techniques relate to different solution mining rates help define cavern geometries based on the previous experience of SWV (Single-well-vertical)-cavern construction. In this study, we pr...

Cosmogenic aluminum-26 and beryllium-10 burial dates of low-lying fossiliferous breccia in the caves at Sterkfontein, South Africa, show that associated hominid fossils accumulated in the Lower Pliocene. These dates indicate that the skeleton StW 573 and newly discovered specimens from Jacovec Cavern have much the same age: approximately 4 million years. These specimens are thus of an age simil...