{{short description|American speleologist|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Infobox person | name = Matt Covington | image = Matt Covington 2014.jpg | caption = at Vršič Pass in 2014 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1980|5|15|mf=yes}} | birth_place = Fort Worth, Texas | years_active = 1998–present | known_for = speleology, deep cave projects | alma_mater = {{plainlist| * University of Arkansas * University of California, Santa Cruz}} | spouse = Elizabeth (married 2002) | children = 2 | website = http://www.speleophysics.com/ }}
'''Matthew D. Covington''' (born May 15, 1980 in Fort Worth) is an American speleologist, most known for his work in hydrogeology and geomorphology,<ref name="CCNTK"/> especially in the field of mathematical modeling of karst systems, as well as by his contribution to Cueva Cheve project in Mexico, since 1999.<ref name="J2_2009"/><ref name="SC2018P"/>
== Early life, education and career == He was born in Fort Worth, his father is an electrical engineer, and his mother is a retired middle school teacher. After graduating high school in Fayetteville in 1998 he graduated in physics (''The Trebuchet: Physics, numerics, and connections to millennia of human activity'') and philosophy (''Quantum mechanics and libertarian free will'') at the University of Arkansas in 2002.<ref name="MDC"/> In 2008 he completed his doctoral study in theoretical astrophysics at the University of California in Santa Cruz, with the thesis: The production and evolution of scaling laws via galaxy merging.<ref name="PESLGM"/> After his PhD he pursued a postdoc study with a grant by NSF. In 2010 he completed it and started another postdoc in Postojna, Slovenia, also supported by NSF.<ref name="MC"/>
== Early caving == Covington grew up in a caving area, the Ozark Mountains, and first visited a cave at the age of 6. He became quite interested in caving at about 14, and at 15 he read the National Geographic report about Bill Stone's expedition to Huautla cave (NG, September 1995) which was decisive for his later caving. At 16 he joined the Boston Mountain Grotto in Fayetteville. At first it was recreational caving in the neighbourhood, the first expedition he took part in was to the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska in the summer of 1999.<ref name="ID"/><ref name="HLPLC"/>
== Oaxaca caves == In 2004 he took part in Bill Stone's expedition to Cueva Chevé area in Mexico, when J2 cave was discovered. He was involved in all of the subsequent expeditions to Cueva J2 (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013)<ref name="J2_2013"/> and co-led the 2010 expedition with Marcin Gala and Jon Lillestolen.<ref name="SJ2LB"/> In 2009 he dove through the sump in the bottom of J2 with Marcin Gala and established the first camp on the far side of the sump.<ref name="UU"/> He also participated in the expeditions to Cueva Chevé and Peña Negra cave in 2016.
He also joined an expedition to the Huautla area to Cueva de Rio Iglesia during 2007. During this expedition, Matt and Yuri Schwartz found a connection between Cueva de Rio Iglesia and the rest of Sistema Huautla.<ref name="HMMCC"/> The previous team that had explored to the bottom of Rio Iglesia in 1967 had been stopped by a sand plug. When Matt and Yuri reached the bottom of the cave they found that the plug had been opened and the passage quickly lead to a connection with Cueva de San Augustin.<ref name="SHM"/>
thumb|left|Covington in Evklidova piščal, by Matic Di Batista
== Julian Alps caves == From August 2010 to August 2012, Covington worked as a postdoc at the Karst Research Institute in Postojna, Slovenia, supported by a National Science Foundation International Research Fellowship. While there, he worked with Franci Gabrovšek,<ref name="TFURICMEPCS"/> who had a similar academic background in that he was a physicist by training but was using physics to understand processes occurring in caves. Covington read the book "Processes of Speleogenesis: A modeling approach",<ref name="PSMA"/> co-authored by Gabrovšek, and met Gabrovšek at the Karst Waters Institute "Future directions in karst research" conference in San Antonio, TX. During this period, Covington joined DZRJL, Ljubljana Cave Exploration Society, and began exploration of caves in Slovenia.<ref name="PA"/><ref name="RKJ"/> He discovered a new caving area on Pokljuka near the mountain Viševnik.<ref name="MBMEV"/>
The first cave discovered on Pokljuka was Evklidova piščal (pron. Evcledovah peshchal, translated as Euclid's flute), which Covington found as a blowing hole in the fall of 2010.<ref name="DEEP"/> This was the first major cave found on the Pokljuka plateau aside from Medvedova konta. After initial exploration in Evklidova piščal the DZRJL began systematic exploration of the area for new caves. Many small caves were found. In the summer of 2013 Covington led an international expedition to the area in collaboration with DZRJL. During this time the team found another promising cave, Platonovo šepetanje (pron. Plahtonovoh shepetanya, translated as Plato's whisper) cave. Later that fall, cavers from DZRJL found the next large cave, Trubarjev dah (pron. Troobaryev dah, translated as Trubar's breath). The caves in this area are relatively complex and exploration continues on many fronts.<ref name="J2014EPS"/> Trubarjev dah, Platonovo šepetanje and Romeo cave, the entrance of which is located above the two, have been connected to a system close to 10 km in length and over 670 m deep.<ref name="PA"/> The team is still searching for a connection with Evklidova piščal, Covington joined the effort at the end of 2019.<ref name="EG"/>
thumb|right|Matt's sump from the top of the final descent, Renejevo brezno, by Uroš Kunaver
Given his experience with diving in deep vertical caves, Covington was asked by DZRJL member Mitja Prelovšek to conduct an initial exploration dive into the sump at the bottom of Renejevo brezno on Mt. Kanin.<ref name="PVKSRBG"/> Covington was relatively inexperienced in exploration diving and agreed to conduct a very short reconnaissance dive. He had only a 5 mm wetsuit and planned for a maximum dive duration of 20 minutes. After 30 m of horizontal continuation at a depth of approximately 10 meters, he saw an airbell above and ascended into it. There was no obvious continuation within the pocket above and at this point he decided to finish the dive and returned to Copacabana. Covington's dive computer read a water temperature of 0.5 °C. The main tunnel continued to descend, but Covington did not have time to continue exploration there.<ref name="PVKSRBG"/>
== Other pursuits == Covington has also participated in cave exploration expeditions to Peru (2004),<ref name="CPA"/> Sumatra (2000), the Purificacion area of Northern Mexico (2000, 2001),<ref name="J2_2009"/> Grotte des Chamois in France (2011),<ref name="C2011"/> Lukina jama in Croatia (2011),<ref name="DLJ"/> to caves in Wulong County China (2012),<ref name="MMGC"/> to glacier caves of Nepal and Svalbard.<ref name="GCENS"/>
In 2025, he was featured in a CNN article regarding Grant Hardin’s escape from the high-security Calico Rock prison in northern Arkansas. He explained, that with over 1500 caves in northern Arkansas, Hardin could easily be camped within the caves.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Boyette |first=Chris |date=2025-05-30 |title=Caves, barns, abandoned sheds: How the landscape of northern Arkansas might help an escaped convict |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/30/us/grant-hardin-prison-escape-arkansas-landscape |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>
== References == <references>
<ref name="PESLGM">{{cite thesis | type = PhD | first = Matthew D. | last = Covington | title = The production and evolution of scaling laws via galaxy merging | date = September 2008 | publisher = University of California, Santa Cruz | URL = http://physics.ucsc.edu/~joel/Covington-PhD-thesis.pdf | accessdate = 14 December 2019}}</ref>
<ref name="ID">{{cite journal | first = Burkhard | last = Bilger | title = In Deep / The dark and dangerous world of extreme cavers | date = 14 April 2014 | journal = The New Yorker | URL = https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/04/21/in-deep-2 | accessdate = 17 December 2019}}</ref>
<ref name="RKJ">{{cite web | first = Matic | last = Di Batista | title = Raziskovanje kraških jam | trans-title = Karst Caves Exploration | language = Slovenian | date = 16 June 2014 | publisher = gore-ljudje / mountains-people | URL = https://www.gore-ljudje.net/objava/107698/ | accessdate = 18 December 2019}}</ref>
<ref name="MDC">{{cite web | first = Matt | last = Covington | title = Matthew D. Covington | date = February 2019 | publisher = Covington Research Group | URL = http://www.speleophysics.com/pubs/Covington-CV-2-2019.pdf | accessdate = 19 December 2019}}</ref>
<ref name="PA">{{cite web | first1 = Matija | last1 = Perne | first2 = Primož | last2 = Jakopin | title = Pokljuka Area | date = 6 September 2015 | publisher = DZRJL - Ljubljana Cave Exploration Society | URL = https://www.dzrjl.si/en/pokljuka-area/ | accessdate = 4 February 2020}}</ref>
<ref name="EG">{{cite web | first = Matt | last = Covington | title = Evklid goes! | date = 11 December 2019 | publisher = DZRJL - Ljubljana Cave Exploration Society | URL = https://www.dzrjl.si/en/evklid-goes-on/ | accessdate = 6 February 2020}}</ref>
<ref name="HLPLC">{{cite speech | first = Matt | last = Covington | title = High and Low Places in Lechuguilla Cave | trans-title = Višine, globine in ožine jame Lechuguilla | event = Predavanja DZRJL / DZRJL Lectures | location = Ljubljana, Slovenia | date = 4 January 2011 | url = https://www.dzrjl.si/predavanje-high-and-low-places-in-lechuguilla-cave-visine-globine-in-ozine-jame-lechuguilla/ | access-date = 18 December 2019}}</ref>
<ref name="MMGC">{{cite speech | first = Matt | last = Covington | title = Misty Mountains and Giant Caves: Recent Exploration in China | trans-title = Meglene gore in orjaške jame: nedavne raziskave na Kitajskem | event = Predavanja DZRJL / DZRJL Lectures | location = Ljubljana, Slovenia | date = 8 May 2012 | url = https://www.dzrjl.si/predavanje-misty-mountains-and-giant-caves-recent-exploration-in-china-meglene-gore-in-orjaske-jame-nedavne-raziskave-na-kitajskem/ | access-date = 18 December 2019}}</ref>
<ref name="MC">{{cite web | title = Dr. Matt Covington | publisher = University of Arkansas | URL = https://fulbright.uark.edu/departments/geosciences/directory/covington.php | accessdate = 19 December 2019}}</ref>
<ref name="CCNTK">{{cite journal | first1 = Andrew J. | last1 = Luhmann | first2 = Matthew | last2 = Covington | first3 = Scott C. | last3 = Alexander | first4 = Su Yi | last4 = Chai | first5 = Benjamin F | last5 = Schwartz | first6 = Joel | last6 = Groten | first7 = E. Calvin | last7 = Alexander Jr. | title = Comparing conservative and nonconservative tracers in Karst and using them to estimate flow path geometry | pages = 448–449, 201–211 | date = July 2012 | journal = Journal of Hydrology | URL = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256756667_Comparing_conservative_and_nonconservative_tracers_in_Karst_and_using_them_to_estimate_flow_path_geometry | accessdate = 19 December 2019}}</ref>
<ref name="UU">{{cite journal | first = Stephen | last = Ornes | title = Unchartered underground | date = 1 October 2015 | journal = Physics World | URL = https://physicsworld.com/a/unchartered-underground/ | accessdate = 19 December 2019}}</ref>
<ref name="TFURICMEPCS">{{cite conference | first1 = Matt | last1 = Covington | first2 = Franci | last2 = Gabrovšek | title = A theoretical framework for understanding the relative importance of chemical and mechanical erosion processes in cave streams | date = 2013 | publisher = Union Internationale de Spéléologie | book-title = Proceedings of the 16th International Speleological Congress | page = 346 | location = Brno, Czech Republic | isbn = 978-80-87857-09-0 | url = https://www.uis-speleo.org/ics/16th_proceedings-v002.pdf | accessdate = 3 February 2020}}</ref>
<ref name="HMMCC">{{cite journal | first1 = Matt | last1 = Covington | first2 = Mark | last2 = Minton | title = How to Make a Major Cave Connection in Two Weeks | pages = 8–19 | date = August 2008 | publisher = National Speleological Society | journal = NSS News}}</ref>
<ref name="MBMEV">{{cite web | first = Jerneja | last = Fidler Pompe | title = The most beautiful mountain for everyone: Viševnik | date = May 26, 2017 | publisher = Exploring Slovenia | URL = https://www.exploringslovenia.com/journal/2017/05/26/the-most-beautiful-mountain-for-everyone-visevnik/ | accessdate = 3 February 2020}}</ref>
<ref name="PVKSRBG">{{cite magazine |first = Mitja |last = Prelovšek |date = December 2011 |title = Potop v končnem sifonu Renejeva brezna na globini -1.242 m |trans-title = Diving in the terminal siphon of Renejevo brezno cave, at the depth of -1.242 m |language = Slovenian |page = 6 |magazine = Jamar |issue = 8 |location = Ljubljana |publisher = Jamarska zveza Slovenije |url = https://issuu.com/revijajamar/docs/jamar_08_2011 |access-date = 3 February 2020 |archive-date = 1 March 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230301160729/https://issuu.com/revijajamar/docs/jamar_08_2011 |url-status = dead }}</ref>
<ref name="CPA">{{cite journal | first1 = Matt | last1 = Covington | title = Caving in the Peruvian Andes: 2004 Expedition | page = 194 | date = December 2005 | journal = Journal of Caving and Karst Studies | publisher = National Speleological Society | issn = 1090-6924 | URL = https://caves.org/pub/journal/PDF/V67/cave_67-03-fullr.pdf | accessdate = 3 February 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref>
<ref name="DEEP">{{cite conference | first1 = Matt | last1 = Covington | first2 = Matic | last2 = Di Batista | title = Discovery and exploration of Evklidova piščal, Julian Alps, Slovenia | date = 2013 | publisher = Union Internationale de Spéléologie | book-title = Proceedings of the 16th International Speleological Congress | page = 58 | location = Brno, Czech Republic | isbn = 978-80-87857-09-0 | url = https://www.uis-speleo.org/ics/16th_proceedings-v002.pdf | accessdate = 3 February 2020}}</ref>
<ref name="J2_2009">{{cite web | title = J2 2009 Personnel | date = 2009 | publisher = United States Deep Caving Team | URL = https://www.usdct.org/j2_personnel.php | accessdate = 3 February 2020}}</ref>
<ref name="J2_2013">{{cite web | title = J2 2013 Personnel | date = 2013 | publisher = United States Deep Caving Team | URL = https://www.usdct.org/j2_personnel_2013.php | accessdate = 4 February 2020}}</ref>
<ref name="SC2018P">{{cite web | title = Sistema Cheve 2018 Personnel | date = 2018 | publisher = United States Deep Caving Team | URL = https://www.usdct.org/cheve_personnel_2018.php | accessdate = 3 February 2020}}</ref>
<ref name="C2011">{{cite web | title = Chamois 2011: International Exploration Camp | date = August 26, 2011 | publisher = Caving News | URL = http://cavingnews.com/20110826-chamois-2011-international-exploration-camp | accessdate = 3 February 2020}}</ref>
<ref name="DLJ">{{cite journal | first1 = Bruce | last1 = White | first2 = Doug | last2 = Warner | title = Drama in Lukina jama | pages = 4–13 | date = February 2012 | journal = NSS News | publisher = National Speleological Society | URL = https://elspeleo.com/images/croatia_article_from_February_2012_NSS_NEWS-HQ.pdf | accessdate = 3 February 2020}}</ref>
<ref name="GCENS">{{cite conference | first1 = Matt | last1 = Covington | first2 = Jason | last2 = Gulley | first3 = David | last3 = Ochel | title = Glacier cave expeditions 2012: Nepal and Svalbard | date = 2013 | publisher = Union Internationale de Spéléologie | book-title = Proceedings of the 16th International Speleological Congress | pages = 59–61 | location = Brno, Czech Republic | isbn = 978-80-87857-09-0 | url = https://www.uis-speleo.org/ics/16th_proceedings-v002.pdf | accessdate = 3 February 2020}}</ref>
<ref name="PSMA">{{cite book |first1 = Wolfgang |last1 = Dreybrodt |first2 = Franci |last2 = Gabrovšek |first3 = Douchko |last3 = Romanov |title = Processes of Speleogenessis. A modeling approach |publisher = Karst Research Institute |place = Postojna |year = 2005 |isbn = 961-6500-91-0}}</ref>
<ref name="SJ2LB">{{cite journal | first = Matt | last = Covington | title = Sistema J2–last Bash: the 2010 J2 expedition | pages = 39–44 | issue = 33 | date = June 2010 | publisher = Association for Mexican Cave Studies | journal = AMCS News | url = http://www.mexicancaves.org/nl/33.pdf | accessdate = 4 February 2020}}</ref>
<ref name="J2014EPS">{{cite journal | first = Gilly | last = Elor | title = January 2014 Expedition to Platonovo šepetanje | pages = 18–20 | date = January 2015 | journal = NSS News | publisher = National Speleological Society}}</ref>
<ref name="SHM">{{cite encyclopedia | last1 = Steele | first1 = C. William | last2 = Smith Jr. | first2 = James H. | title = Encyclopedia of Caves | editor1-last = White | editor1-first = William B. | editor2-last =C ulver |editor2-first=David C. | chapter = Sistema Huautla, Mexico | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Caves (Second Edition) | doi = 10.1016/B978-0-12-383832-2.00016-5 | date = 2012 | publisher = Academic Press | location = Richmond Hill, Ontario | isbn = 9780123838339 | pages = 712–718}}</ref>
</references>
{{DEFAULTSORT:Covington, Matt}} Category:Living people Category:American speleologists Category:21st-century American scientists Category:1980 births