Alexandre Peeters

Karstic Systems in Eastern Belgium: Remouchamps and Noû Bleû

Belgium is characterised by a wide variety of rocks, including carbonate formations, which are significantly represented in eastern Belgium. Among those formations, Devonian and Carboniferous carbonates display the most developed karstic features, as illustrated by the two cave systems presented in this chapter. Although both systems are water caves, they differ in many ways. The Remouchamps Cave, developed in the Upper Devonian limestones, is a touristic cave, while the Nou Bleu Cave, developed in the Carboniferous carbonates, is a brand new discovery still under exploration. The two systems are of scientific interest and contain many deposits (speleothems and detrital sediments) providing records of past environmental changes and paleoclimates. Beside the Quaternary dynamics, the present-day dynamics can be highlighted within the karstic basins that encompass the two cave systems. The generation or reactivation of sinkholes and swallow holes is often favoured or triggered by human activity. Furthermore, the two basins offer several good examples of human interaction with karst environments, not only in terms of karstic constraints for humans but also as a resource that must be preserved.