CaveFinder is in early access. Results are predictions based on terrain data and are intended to help you prioritize field visits — they are not confirmed cave locations.
By using CaveFinder you agree:
Results may include false positives. Always verify candidates in the field safely.
Caving is dangerous. You are solely responsible for your safety and the safety of your party.
Always obtain proper permission before visiting any site. This includes landowner permission for private land, and any required permits or access authorization for public land. Many caves on public land are gated, closed, or require permits.
Do not disturb wildlife, formations, or other cave resources.
This tool is provided for personal, non-commercial research use only during early access.
Do not redistribute or resell the detection results.
Conservation. CaveFinder does not have access to or give out private cave data. Your search results are private to your account. We ask that you follow responsible caving practices and report significant finds to your local grotto rather than posting locations publicly.
No warranty. CaveFinder is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Buzzy LLC and its affiliates are not liable for injury, property damage, trespass, or any other harm arising from use of this tool.
This is early access — features and accuracy are actively improving. Thank you for being an early user!
Find potential cave entrances using elevation data
1.
Select an area — Use the Draw Rectangle or Draw Polygon buttons to outline where you want to search.
2.
Click "Find Caves" — We'll download terrain data and scan for cave-like features automatically.
3.
Explore results — Each pin shows a potential cave entrance with a confidence score. Use the slider to filter results, then export your top picks for your next field trip.
Best results in karst terrain (limestone, dolomite). The app will let you know if your area has good LiDAR coverage.
CaveFinder — Pro Mode
Advanced overlays, terrain analysis, and export tools
1.
Draw an area — Use Draw Rectangle or Draw Polygon to define your search region.
2.
Configure — The best available terrain data for your area is selected automatically. Pro users can override the data source.
3.
Run analysis — Advanced terrain analysis runs on your selected area. Each candidate is scored based on terrain signatures and depth characteristics.
4.
Review & export — Filter by confidence score or depression depth. Use Map Layers for terrain overlays. Export to GPX/KML/CSV.
Tip: Toggle Known Caves in Map Layers to see publicly available cave data from OpenStreetMap. Use Quick Layers for terrain and geology overlays.
Outside cave-forming terrain. CaveFinder works best in karst regions. Results may include many false positives. Pro users get terrain-adaptive filtering for better results in non-karst areas.Non-karst area detected. Showing filtered results with reduced false positives.
Results:High-confidence results
Filter Results ⓘ
Filter by text, depth (>2, <5), rank (#10), or coordinates
For informational/exploratory purposes only. Not a geological assessment.
Always obtain proper permission before visiting any site.
Results
Result Overlays
Detection Heatmap
Score-weighted density of results
Min score0
Radius
Depth Heat Map
Red=shallow, blue=deep, purple=very deep
Probability
Bright = higher confidence of karst features
Terrain Position
Blue = depressions, Red = ridges
Terrain + Depth
Combined depth & terrain overlay
Slopeshade
Bright = steep terrain
Stream Sinks
Detected swallet & ponor points
Built-up Areas
Urban / developed terrain filter
Upload Your File
Drop a GeoTIFF DEM or LAS/LAZ point cloud to analyse without auto-download.
📁
Drop file here or click to browse .tif .tiff .las .laz .kmz
Multi-Date Change Detection
Upload two DEMs of the same area (different dates). New or deepened depressions
between surveys are flagged as high-priority cave candidates.
📅
Drop DEM 1 (.tif / .tiff)
📅
Drop DEM 2 (.tif / .tiff)
Minimum elevation change to flag as new depression
Batch Queue
Queue multiple areas for overnight processing. Draw each area, configure settings,
then click "Add to Queue". When ready, start all jobs.
Tips for Better Results
Higher resolution = more caves found. At 30 m you'll catch
large sinkholes. At 10 m you get most cave-size depressions.
At 1 m you can detect entrances under 1 m wide.
Draw small areas first. Start with a 2–5 km² box over known cave country
to verify the tool finds what you expect before running a large area.
Enable the Karst layer in the Map Controls panel before drawing — if your area
is outside the green overlay, there's little point running analysis there.
Use field notes. After a field trip, mark each candidate as confirmed,
negative, or needs investigation in the Results tab. This data is saved
and included in GPX/KML exports for the next trip.
✓ Known Caves Layer — see documented caves from OpenStreetMap
✓ Mark as Checked — track field verification status
EARLY ACCESS PRICING
$5.99/mo
or $49.99/yr (founding rate)
Regular pricing: $9.99/mo or $59.99/yr after early access
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