Speleology meteorology and cartography to develop portraits of caves as complex, evolving systems. Prior to the mid-nineteenth century the scientific value of caves was considered only in its contribution to other branches of science, and cave studies were considered part of the larger disciplines of geography, geology or archaeology. Very little cave-specific study was undertaken prior to the work of Édouard-Alfred Martel (1859–1938), the 'father of modern speleology', who through his extensive and well-publicised cave explorations introduced in France the concept of speleology as a distinct area of study. In 1895 Martel founded the Société de Spéléologie, the first organization devoted
International Union of Speleology International Union of Speleology International Union of Speleology (, UIS) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization to promote interaction between academic and technical speleologists from a wide range of nationalities for the purpose of developing and coordinating international speleology in all of its scientific, technical, cultural and economic aspects. It formed in 1965 upon the initiative of the International Speleological Congress (held every four years since 1949) Its voting members consist of a delegate from each member country representing the cavers and speleologists of that country, rather than any of the official national bodies. Its activities take place in a number