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Full-Text Articles in Earth Sciences
Guano-Derived Morphologies And Associated Minerals Found In Cova De Sa Guitarreta, Llucmajor, Balearics, Antonio Merino Juncadella, Joan J. Fornós, Antoni Mulet, Joaquín Ginés
Guano-Derived Morphologies And Associated Minerals Found In Cova De Sa Guitarreta, Llucmajor, Balearics, Antonio Merino Juncadella, Joan J. Fornós, Antoni Mulet, Joaquín Ginés
International Journal of Speleology
Cova de sa Guitarreta is located in the southern part of Mallorca Island (western Mediterranean). It was formed presumably by hypogenic processes in Upper Miocene reefal calcarenites. The cave hosts an important breeding colony of bats during the end of spring and early summer. Its microclimate is influenced by the presence of a thermal phreatic water table (27.7ºC) as well as by bat populations remaining in the cave along the reproductive season. The morphological bat-related features include bat claws and thumb marks scratches, together with several morphologies linked to bat excreta and aggressive leachates from guano. From the mineralogical point …
Bat Guano Minerals And Mineralization Processes In Chameau Cave, Eastern Morocco, Philippe Audra, Vasile Heresanu, Lionel Barriquand, Mohamed El Kadiri Boutchich, Stephane Jaillet, Edwige Pons-Branchu, Pavel Bosak, Hai Cheng, R Lawrence Edwards, Michel Renda
Bat Guano Minerals And Mineralization Processes In Chameau Cave, Eastern Morocco, Philippe Audra, Vasile Heresanu, Lionel Barriquand, Mohamed El Kadiri Boutchich, Stephane Jaillet, Edwige Pons-Branchu, Pavel Bosak, Hai Cheng, R Lawrence Edwards, Michel Renda
International Journal of Speleology
The decay of bat guano deposits in caves produces mineral accumulations, mainly phosphates and secondary sulfates. Chameau Cave, Eastern Morocco, is located in the semi-arid Bni Snassen Mountains. It is composed of semi-active and dry passages, and is featured by strong condensation-corrosion on the walls, presence of fluvial sediments, and old corroded flowstones. Due to forced and convective airflow, the cave is generally very dry, with some damp sites related to condensation. Samples collected on the surface of different passages and along two sediment profiles yielded minerals related to bat guano decay. On recent or fresh guano, precursor minerals correspond …
Morphological And Mineralogical Evidence For Ancient Bat Presence In Cova Des Pas De Vallgornera (Llucmajor, Mallorca, Western Mediterranean), Antoni Merino, Joan J. Fornós, Antoni Mulet, Joaquín Ginés
Morphological And Mineralogical Evidence For Ancient Bat Presence In Cova Des Pas De Vallgornera (Llucmajor, Mallorca, Western Mediterranean), Antoni Merino, Joan J. Fornós, Antoni Mulet, Joaquín Ginés
International Journal of Speleology
Cova des Pas de Vallgornera is a unique karst cave located at the Llucmajor coastal platform that stands out not only because of its length, more than 78 km, but also for its particular morphological suite, richness and variety of speleothems and mineral infillings. Although the mineralogy of speleothems and minerals related to hypogene morphologies has been studied and described, the existence of minerals derived from guano deposits was still poorly investigated. The cave hosted bat colonies until the collapse of its natural entrances, circa 2.4 My ago, since then until its discovery in 1968, the cave remained sealed. These …
Guano-Related Phosphate-Rich Minerals In European Caves, Philippe Audra, Jo De Waele, Ilham Bentaleb, Alica Chroňáková, Václav Krištůfek, Ilenia M. D'Angeli, Cristina Carbone, Giuliana Madonia, Marco Vattano, Giovanna Scopelliti, Didier Cailhol, Nathalie Vanara, Marjan Temovski, Jean-Yves Bigot, Jean-Claude Nobécourt, Ermanno Galli, Fernando Rull, Aurelio Sanz-Arranz
Guano-Related Phosphate-Rich Minerals In European Caves, Philippe Audra, Jo De Waele, Ilham Bentaleb, Alica Chroňáková, Václav Krištůfek, Ilenia M. D'Angeli, Cristina Carbone, Giuliana Madonia, Marco Vattano, Giovanna Scopelliti, Didier Cailhol, Nathalie Vanara, Marjan Temovski, Jean-Yves Bigot, Jean-Claude Nobécourt, Ermanno Galli, Fernando Rull, Aurelio Sanz-Arranz
International Journal of Speleology
Guano is a typical deposit found in caves derived from the excretions of bats and in minor cases of birds. These organic deposits decompose and form a series of acid fluids and gases that can interact with the minerals, sediments, and rocks present in the cave. Over sixty phosphates are known and described from caves, but guano decay also often leads to the formation of nitrates and sulfates. In this study twenty-two European caves were investigated for their guano-related secondary minerals. Using various analytical techniques, seventeen phosphates, along with one sulfate (gypsum), were recognized as secondary products of guano decay. …
Revisiting Three Minerals From Cioclovina Cave (Romania), Bogdan P. Onac, Herta S. Effenberger, Nathan C. Collins, Joe B. Kearns, Radu C. Breban
Revisiting Three Minerals From Cioclovina Cave (Romania), Bogdan P. Onac, Herta S. Effenberger, Nathan C. Collins, Joe B. Kearns, Radu C. Breban
International Journal of Speleology
Cioclovina Cave in Romania’s Southern Carpathians is a world-renowned cave site for its paleontological, anthropological, and mineralogical (type locality of ardealite) findings. To date, over 25 mineral species have been documented, some unusual for a cave environment. This paper presents details on the occurrence of collinsite [Ca2(Mg,Fe2+)(PO4)2·2H2O], atacamite [Cu22+Cl(OH)3], and kröhnkite [Na2Cu2+(SO4)2·2H2O] based on single-crystal X-ray diffraction, electron microprobe, stable isotope analyses, and scanning electron microscope imaging. This is the first reported occurrence of kröhnkite …