| The research of the karst caves is an important realm in karstological research, and alsothe important content in the study of the regional karst landforms. The research object of thispaper is the karst caves in the hilly area of northern Taishan Mountains where is one of therepresentative karsts region in Shandong Province. The research on the karst caves in thisregion and their landscape value for tourism have important geographical significance andapplication value for expounding the characteristics of regional karst development inShandong, and for exploitation rationally and protection of the karst cave tourism resources ofthe region .Based on a lot of datas gained through the field investigation of caves, and other datasabout the geology, the hydrology and the terrain landform of the area, the author studiedsystematically the characteristics of caves development in the hilly area of northern TaishanMountains, evaluated objectively the landscape value of the typical karst caves in this regionfor tourism, and finally put forward the reasonable suggestions about the tourism exploitationand protection of the karst caves in the area1. The paper expatiates the basic status of the karst caves in the research area includingthe quantity of the caves, the strata developed in, periphery lithological character, location,forms of caves, speleothem formation in the caves and the main control factors affecting thecaves development and so on, and make an introduction in detail about the 13 typical karstcaves such as Panlong cave, Xilong cave, the caves group in Zhangxia Xiaolouyu , Zifangcave, Niumo cave, Qiankun cave, and Baiyun cave.2. The basic characteristics of the karst caves development are studied systematically,and their form characteristics and types are particularly emphasized on in the paper. Each kindof cave forms and deposits, which can be seen in the area, are expounded respectively indetail from aspect of their origin, and vital significance in the geomorphology and thehydrology. This paper summarizes the basic development characteristic of karst caves in thearea: ①The scale of the caves are not big, small and medium caves are dominated absolutely.②The distribution of the caves in this region is non-uniformity and showing the characteristicof macroscopical dispersion and local concentration. The layered characteristic of the karstcaves in altitude distribution is obvious. ③Most of the larger caves are the single passageshorizontal cave, and most of the middle and small caves are types of rock shelter and verticalcrack. ④The section shapes of cave passages are diverse. The shape of triangle, flat,rectangle and ellipse are dominated, but the changes of section shapes of passages in caves areoften marked. ⑤According to the characteristic of the compound shape of the cave passagesand the cross section, the author divides the caves of this region into six main types, andsummarized the characteristics of each kind of them. ⑥Solutional small forms developed incaves are very typically and varied. The types of solutional small forms often seeing in cavesof this region include pocket type and orientational flute type which have importantgeographic significance showing the hydrodynamic condition of the cavern development;⑦The types of the speleothem in caves of this region are rather simple, which are composedmainly by fragmental matters, and the secondary carbonate chemical deposits are rather few.The most caves appear as dry caves characteristics.⑧ In this area one kind of specialfragmental deposit so called "hilltop conglomerate" was discovered in individual caves,which is important in inferring the age of caves growth and evolutionary process of theregional karst caves. According contrasting analysis of the deposits and same kind of depositsin other area, it had determined indirectly the corresponding relations between growthposition of karst caves in this region with the ancient karst denudation surface of adjacentregions.3. Based on massive works of field survey, the paper discusses the key factorscontrolling the formation and evolution of caves in the region from the aspects of stratum,lithological character, geologic structure, landform and climate and so on, and divides theorigin type of the caves according to the differences in hydrogenlogical setting. From theorigin to see, large caves belong to the secondary Vados Zone caves formed by phreatic water;while most small caves belong to the crack type Vados Zone cave;and rock shelter caveformed by different weathering functions.4. Based on the division of the cave origin types, analysing of the layered characteristicsof the karst caves distribution and the important geographic significance of the specialfragmental deposits discovered in some caves, the paper infers the change of ancientgeographical environment in the cave forming process. And, by contrasting research the karstcaves in this region with the karst denudation surfaces in the central and southernmountainous area of the Shandong province, author put forward the theoretical pattern of thecaves development in this region.5. In the applicational aspect of the cave study, the paper regards the karst cave landscapeas a kind of potential and non-renewable tourism resource. And in the view of karst cave,snatural landscape featurs in the region, the author constructed the evaluation model, theevaluation indexes, the weight of these indexes, and the grade standards of the cave landscapevalues for the first time, and evaluated the quality values of 12 typical caves natural landscapein the region by this model. The paper classifies the karst caves into three different kinds forapplication and tourism exploitation. At the same time based on the above research, the authorsummed up the present situation and problems in the tourism exploiting process of the caves,and proposes the suggestions of exploitation and protection of the karst cave landscaperesources in this region.
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