Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Hypogenic Origin Of Provalata Cave, Republic Of Macedonia: A Distinct Case Of Successive Thermal Carbonic And Sulfuric Acid Speleogenesis, Marjan Temovski, Philippe Audra, Andrej Mihevc, Jorge E. Spangenberg, Victor Polyak, William Mcintosh, Jean-Yves Bigot

International Journal of Speleology

Provalata Cave (Republic of Macedonia) is a small but remarkable hypogenic cave, developed in Cambrian marbles by successive thermal carbonic and sulfuric acid speleogenesis. The cave has a thick partly corroded calcite crust, abundant gypsum deposits, with cupolas, ceiling and wall channels, feeders and replacement pockets as some of the most characteristic morphological features. Distribution of morphology and deposits suggest a hypogenic origin in two distinct speleogenetic phases: the first by thermal CO₂ rich waters, the second by sulfuric acid dissolution, which were separated by complete infilling of cave passages with pyroclastic-derived clays. In the first phase of speleogenesis, …