Very much afraid the cavern will collapse (6)
I believe the answer is:
craven
'very much afraid' is the definition.
'craven' can be an answer for 'afraid' (thesaurus). I am not certain of the 'very much' bit.
'cavern will collapse' is the wordplay.
'cavern' can be anagrammed to 'CRAVEN'.
However, I am unsure how this is indicated.
'the' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for craven that I've seen before include "Cowardly, spineless" , "Cowardly and fearful" , "Cowardly - Yorkshire area" , "Without backbone" , "Cowardly, abjectly afraid" .)