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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Some Applications Of Geochemical And Isotopic Techniques To Hydrogeology Of The Caves After Research In Two Sites (Nerja Cave-S Spain And Fourbanne System-French Jura), Jacques Mudry, Bartolomé Andreo, Arnaud Charmoille, Cristina Liñán, Francisco Carrasco Jan 2008

Some Applications Of Geochemical And Isotopic Techniques To Hydrogeology Of The Caves After Research In Two Sites (Nerja Cave-S Spain And Fourbanne System-French Jura), Jacques Mudry, Bartolomé Andreo, Arnaud Charmoille, Cristina Liñán, Francisco Carrasco

International Journal of Speleology

Caves constitute privileged sampling spots to investigate the hydrochemical behaviour of infiltration, but the representative nature of samples can limit their reach. Taking this into account many results can be obtained from chemistry of water sampled in the caves. Carbonate tracers enable to reconstruct the ‘history’ of drip water water, including rainfall and temperatures. Moreover, permanent drip waters prove durability of water stored in the unsaturated zone over the cave, and lags between rain inputs and drip output enable to evaluate transit time through the unsaturated zone. The comparison of input/output concentrations can also contribute to estimate the local water …


The Role Of The Epikarst In Karst And Cave Hydrogeology: A Review, Paul W. Williams Jan 2008

The Role Of The Epikarst In Karst And Cave Hydrogeology: A Review, Paul W. Williams

International Journal of Speleology

The epikarst (also known as the subcutaneous zone) comprises highly weathered carbonate bedrock immediately beneath the surface or beneath the soil (when present) or exposed at the surface. Porosity and permeability are higher near the surface than at depth, consequently after recharge percolating rainwater is detained near the base of the epikarst, the detention ponding producing an epikarstic aquifer. Such an aquifer is found only where the uppermost part of the vadose zone is very weathered compared to the bedrock at depth. Sometimes this contrast in porosity and permeability does not occur either because the epikarst has been scraped off …


Tracer Tests In Karst Hydrogeology And Speleology, Nico Goldscheider, Joe Meiman, Michiel Pronk, Christopher Smart Jan 2008

Tracer Tests In Karst Hydrogeology And Speleology, Nico Goldscheider, Joe Meiman, Michiel Pronk, Christopher Smart

International Journal of Speleology

This article presents an introduction to the fundamentals of tracing techniques and their application in cave and karst environments, illustrated by case studies from the Mammoth Cave, USA, and a small experimental site in Switzerland. The properties and limitations of the most important artificial tracers are discussed, and the available methods of tracer injection, sampling, online monitoring and laboratory analysis are presented. Fully quantitative tracer experiments result in continuous or discrete concentration-time data series, i.e. breakthrough curves, and concomitant discharge data, which make it possible to obtain detailed information about groundwater flow and contaminant transport. Within the frame of speleological …


Hydrogeochemical Processes As Environmental Indicators In Drip Water: Study Of The Cueva Del Agua (Southern Spain), Angel Fernandez-Cortes, Jose Maria Calaforra, Francisco Sánchez-Martos Jan 2008

Hydrogeochemical Processes As Environmental Indicators In Drip Water: Study Of The Cueva Del Agua (Southern Spain), Angel Fernandez-Cortes, Jose Maria Calaforra, Francisco Sánchez-Martos

International Journal of Speleology

Karst caves exhibit a wide range of hydrological and hydrochemical responses to infiltration events, due to their physical heterogeneity in space and dynamic variability over time, and due to non-Gaussian inputs (rain) and outputs (discharge). This paper reviews different approaches of studying seepage water in caves, in order to understand the infiltration regimen in the non-saturated zone of karst areas. As an illustration, we describe a four-year study of the active carbonate-water system in the Cueva del Agua (Granada, southern Spain) that automatically logs the discharge from a stalactite. The results indicate that: (1) the drip water regime is not …


Contribution Of Artificial Galleries To The Knowledge Of Karstic System Behaviour In Addition To Natural Cavern Data, Benjamin Garry, Thibaut Blondel, Christophe Emblanch, Christophe Sudre, Séverine Bilgot, Alain Cavaillou, Daniel Boyer, Michel Auguste Jan 2008

Contribution Of Artificial Galleries To The Knowledge Of Karstic System Behaviour In Addition To Natural Cavern Data, Benjamin Garry, Thibaut Blondel, Christophe Emblanch, Christophe Sudre, Séverine Bilgot, Alain Cavaillou, Daniel Boyer, Michel Auguste

International Journal of Speleology

The study of karstic systems is mainly based on hydrodynamic and hydrochemical data collected at system inlets (rainfall) and outlets (springs). Indeed, some complementary data base coming from speleological and hydrogeological explorations of natural cavities exist. However, they are not completely representative of all the types of flows. These kinds of flow which have a large part in general hydrodynamics of a system are already the result of a structured organization of karst due to complex phenomena of limestone dissolution. Artificial galleries have the advantage to be easily accessible. Moreover, they cut randomly flows which are much less structured or …


Epigene And Hypogene Gypsum Karst Manifestations Of The Castile Formation: Eddy County, New Mexico And Culberson County, Texas, Usa, Kevin W. Stafford, Raymond Nance, Laura Rosales-Lagarde, Penelope J. Boston Jan 2008

Epigene And Hypogene Gypsum Karst Manifestations Of The Castile Formation: Eddy County, New Mexico And Culberson County, Texas, Usa, Kevin W. Stafford, Raymond Nance, Laura Rosales-Lagarde, Penelope J. Boston

International Journal of Speleology

Permian evaporites of the Castile Formation crop out over ~1,800 km2 in the western Delaware Basin (Eddy County, New Mexico and Culberson County, Texas, USA) with abundant and diverse karst manifestations. Epigene karst occurs as well-developed karren on exposed bedrock, while sinkholes dominate the erosional landscape, including both solutional and collapse forms. Sinkhole analyses suggest that more than half of all sinks are the result of upward stoping of subsurface voids, while many solutional sinks are commonly the result of overprinting of collapsed forms. Epigene caves are laterally limited with rapid aperture decreases away from insurgence, with passages developed …


Carbon Dioxide Concentration In Air Within The Nerja Cave (Malaga, Andalusia, Spain), Cristina Liñán, Iñaki Vadillo, Francisco Carrasco Jan 2008

Carbon Dioxide Concentration In Air Within The Nerja Cave (Malaga, Andalusia, Spain), Cristina Liñán, Iñaki Vadillo, Francisco Carrasco

International Journal of Speleology

From 2001 to 2005 the CO2 concentration of the air in the interior and exterior of the Nerja Cave was studied and its relation with the air temperature and visitor number. The average annual CO2 concentration outside of the cave is 320 ppmv, whilst inside, the mean concentration increases to 525 ppmv during autumn and winter, and in the order of 750 ppmv during spring and summer. The temporal variation of CO2 content in the air of the cave is strongly influenced by its degree of natural ventilation which is, in turn, determined by the difference between …


Surface Corrosion Of An Alpine Karren Field: Recent Measures At Innerbergli (Siebenhengste, Switzerland), Philipp Häuselmann Jan 2008

Surface Corrosion Of An Alpine Karren Field: Recent Measures At Innerbergli (Siebenhengste, Switzerland), Philipp Häuselmann

International Journal of Speleology

29 year old rock paintings in the Alpine karren field of Innerbergli (Siebenhengste, Switzerland) prevented the underlying rock from corrosion, while the surface nearby was corroded. Measurement of the steps indicates an average recent corrosion rate of 0.014 (±0.007) mm/a. This denudation rate is very similar to those observed in other comparable places and with other means.


Late Pleistocene Cryogenic Calcite Spherolites From The Malachitdom Cave (Ne Rhenish Slate Mountains, Germany): Origin, Unusual Internal Structure And Stable C-O Isotope Composition, Detlev Konrad Richter, Dana Felicitas Christine Riechelmann Jan 2008

Late Pleistocene Cryogenic Calcite Spherolites From The Malachitdom Cave (Ne Rhenish Slate Mountains, Germany): Origin, Unusual Internal Structure And Stable C-O Isotope Composition, Detlev Konrad Richter, Dana Felicitas Christine Riechelmann

International Journal of Speleology

Cryogenic calcites yielded U-series ages in the range from 15.61±0.20 ka to 14.48±0.12 ka, which is the youngest age obtained so far for this type of cryogenic cave carbonates in Europe. Most of these particles of the Malachitdom Cave (NE Brilon, Sauerland, North Rhine-Westphalia) are complex spherolites usually smaller than 1 cm. They show δ13C-values between –1 and –5 ‰ VPDB and δ18O-values ranging from –7 to –16 ‰ VPDB, the δ13C-values increase and the δ18O-values decrease from centre to border. The complex spherolites are interpreted to be formed in slowly freezing …


An Investigation Of Meromixis In Cave Pools, Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico, David B. Levy Jan 2008

An Investigation Of Meromixis In Cave Pools, Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico, David B. Levy

International Journal of Speleology

Chemical characteristics of permanent stratification in cave pools (meromixis) may provide insight into the geochemical origin and evolution of cave pool waters. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that some pools in Lechuguilla Cave may be subject to ectogenic meromixis, where permanent chemical stratification is induced by input of relatively saline or fresh water from an external source. However, because organic C concentrations in Lechuguilla waters are low (typically < 1 mg L-1), biogenic meromixis resulting in O2(g)-depleted subsurface waters is not expected. Four pools at various depths below ground surface (0 m) were studied: (1) …


The Origin Of The Bemaraha Tsingy (Madagascar), Márton Veress, Dénes Lóczy, Zoltán Zentai, Gábor Tóth, Roland Schläffer Jan 2008

The Origin Of The Bemaraha Tsingy (Madagascar), Márton Veress, Dénes Lóczy, Zoltán Zentai, Gábor Tóth, Roland Schläffer

International Journal of Speleology

On Madagascar the most representative occurrences of tsingy are at Ankarana and Bemaraha. The tsingy are built up of giant grikes developed along cracks as well as karren features of much smaller size which cover the surfaces between grikes. We investigated the Bemaraha tsingy of Madagascar (surveyed profiles, measured grike directions, etc.) in order to reconstruct their development. The observations indicate that the majority of grikes of the tsingy are created from caves formed under the karst water table and subsequently opened up to the surface. The predominant processes may have been downward progressing dissolution or the collapse of cave …


Hydrodynamic Aspect Of Caves, Mitja Prelovšek, Janez Turk, Franci Gabrovšek Jan 2008

Hydrodynamic Aspect Of Caves, Mitja Prelovšek, Janez Turk, Franci Gabrovšek

International Journal of Speleology

From a hydrological point of view, active caves are a series of connected conduits which drain water through an aquifer. Water tends to choose the easiest way through the system but different geological and morphological barriers act as flow restrictions. The number and characteristics of restrictions depends on the particular speleogenetic environment, which is a function of geological, geomorphological, climatological and hydrological settings. Such a variety and heterogeneity of underground systems has presented a challenge for human understanding for many centuries. Access to many underground passages, theoretical knowledge and recent methods (modeling, water pressure-resistant dataloggers, precise sensors etc.) give us …


Groundwater Contamination In Caves: Four Case Studies In Spain, Monserrat Jiménez-Sánchez, Heather Stoll, Iñaki Vadillo, Manolo López-Chicano, María Domínguez-Cuesta, Wenceslao Martín-Rosales, Mónica Meléndez-Asensio Jan 2008

Groundwater Contamination In Caves: Four Case Studies In Spain, Monserrat Jiménez-Sánchez, Heather Stoll, Iñaki Vadillo, Manolo López-Chicano, María Domínguez-Cuesta, Wenceslao Martín-Rosales, Mónica Meléndez-Asensio

International Journal of Speleology

Groundwater quality was monitored in four Spanish caves using concentrations of nitrate, potassium, phosphorus and in some cases total organic carbon. Three of the caves are located in NW Spain and contain prehistoric cave paintings and hence have special conservation interest. Of these, two are open show caves (Tito Bustillo and Pindal Caves), while the other one (Herrerías Cave) is not managed for tours and is partially closed off to public access. The fourth cave (Las Maravillas Cave) is located in SW Spain and is opened to the public because of its geological features and natural beauty. In this paper, …