Matthew D. Covington (born May 15, 1980 in Fort Worth) is an American speleologist, most known for his work in hydrogeology and geomorphology,[1] especially in the field of mathematical modeling of karst systems, as well as by his contribution to Cueva Cheve project in Mexico, since 1999.

[2][3] He was born in Fort Worth, his father is an electrical engineer, and his mother is a middle school teacher.

[4] 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.

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.

During this expedition, Matt and Yuri Schwartz found a connection between Cueva de Rio Iglesia and the rest of Sistema Huautla.

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.

While there, he worked with Franci Gabrovšek,[14] who had a similar academic background in that he was a physicist by training but was using physics to understand processes occurring in caves.

[20] 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.