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Articles 1 - 15 of 15
Full-Text Articles in Earth Sciences
Low Impact Sampling Of Speleothems – Reconciling Scientific Study With Cave Conservation, Claire L.V. Macgregor, John C. Hellstrom, Jon D. Woodhead, Russell N. Drysdale, Rolan S. Eberhard
Low Impact Sampling Of Speleothems – Reconciling Scientific Study With Cave Conservation, Claire L.V. Macgregor, John C. Hellstrom, Jon D. Woodhead, Russell N. Drysdale, Rolan S. Eberhard
International Journal of Speleology
Speleothems are increasingly valued as important paleoclimate archives and yet the removal of samples from caves can come at a cost to natural heritage, impacting delicate environments with limited mechanisms for repair. Conservation of cave environments is a key responsibility for scientists and, with this in mind, we are working to develop and implement techniques that allow us to extract valuable scientific data, with minimal impact. In this study, we demonstrate the utility of low-impact reconnaissance dating surveys on caves in southern Tasmania and southwest Western Australia as a precursor to the removal of stalagmites for paleoclimate reconstruction. Small flakes …
Co-Authorship Analysis Of The Speleothem Proxy-Climate Community: Working Together To Tackle The Big Problems, Micheline L. Campbell, John N. Callow, Gavan S. Mcgrath, Hamish A. Mcgowan
Co-Authorship Analysis Of The Speleothem Proxy-Climate Community: Working Together To Tackle The Big Problems, Micheline L. Campbell, John N. Callow, Gavan S. Mcgrath, Hamish A. Mcgowan
International Journal of Speleology
Understanding the environmental context of speleothem palaeo-climate proxies is fundamental to their interpretation. We analyse four methodological approaches to accomplish this: stalactite discharge analysis, proxy/process tracer studies, discharge modelling, and geophysics. Datamining produced citation data sets that reflected these methodological sub-disciplines. Social network analysis is used to examine co-authorship within and between these sub-disciplines, and between the joint methodological community and the broader speleothem proxy climate community. Members of the sub-disciplines have become more connected to one another over time, and to members of the other sub-disciplines. High degrees of connectivity between and within communities allows for the rapid and …
Moonmilk As A Human And Veterinary Medicine: Evidence Of Past Artisan Mining In Caves Of The Austrian Alps, Christoph Spötl
Moonmilk As A Human And Veterinary Medicine: Evidence Of Past Artisan Mining In Caves Of The Austrian Alps, Christoph Spötl
International Journal of Speleology
The use of moonmilk for medical and other purposes in the Alps is documented since the 16th century. This article reviews speleological reports and sparse historical accounts about the extraction of moonmilk from 18 caves in the Eastern Alps of Austria in an artisan mining style. One such example from a cave in Tyrol is documented in detail, where moonmilk was mined until the beginning of the 20th century and which, due to its remote location, uniquely preserved traces of both the mining and processing style.
Cave Monitoring And The Potential For Palaeoclimate Reconstruction From Cueva De Asiul, Cantabria (N. Spain), Andrew C. Smith, Peter M. Wynn, Philip A. Barker, Melanie J. Leng, Steve R. Noble, Andrew Stott
Cave Monitoring And The Potential For Palaeoclimate Reconstruction From Cueva De Asiul, Cantabria (N. Spain), Andrew C. Smith, Peter M. Wynn, Philip A. Barker, Melanie J. Leng, Steve R. Noble, Andrew Stott
International Journal of Speleology
Palaeoclimate records from northern Iberia are becoming increasingly sought after as this region is one of the most southerly terrestrial locations in Europe to have its climate dictated principally by the North Atlantic. Terrestrial records therefore have the potential to offer insights into changing oceanic and atmospheric circulation in the wider North Atlantic region. Cave speleothems offer one of the most promising archives from northern Iberia due to their wide geographic distribution and potential for accurately dated climate reconstruction. Cueva de Asiul, situated in Cantabria (N. Iberia; 43°19'0.63''N, 3°35'28.32''W; 285 m.a.s.l) within the Matienzo karst depression is one such site …
Incision History Of Glenwood Canyon, Colorado, Usa, From The Uranium-Series Analyses Of Water-Table Speleothems, Victor J. Polyak, Harvey R. Duchene, Donald G. Davis, Arthur N. Palmer, Margaret V. Palmer, Yemane Asmerom
Incision History Of Glenwood Canyon, Colorado, Usa, From The Uranium-Series Analyses Of Water-Table Speleothems, Victor J. Polyak, Harvey R. Duchene, Donald G. Davis, Arthur N. Palmer, Margaret V. Palmer, Yemane Asmerom
International Journal of Speleology
Uranium-series analyses of water-table-type speleothems from Glenwood Cavern and “cavelets” near the town of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, USA, yield incision rates of the Colorado River in Glenwood Canyon for the last ~1.4 My. The incision rates, calculated from dating cave mammillary and cave folia calcite situated 65 and 90 m above the Colorado River, are 174 ± 30 m/My for the last 0.46 My and 144 ± 30 m/My for the last 0.62 My, respectively. These are consistent with incision rates determined from nearby volcanic deposits. In contrast, δ234U model ages (1.39 ± 0.25 My; 1.36 ± 0.25 …
Cryogenic Fracturing Of Calcite Flowstone In Caves: Theoretical Considerations And Field Observations In Kents Cavern, Devon, Uk., Joyce Lundberg, Donald A. Mcfarlane
Cryogenic Fracturing Of Calcite Flowstone In Caves: Theoretical Considerations And Field Observations In Kents Cavern, Devon, Uk., Joyce Lundberg, Donald A. Mcfarlane
International Journal of Speleology
Several caves in Devon, England, have been noted for extensive cracking of substantial flowstone floors. Conjectural explanations have included earthquake damage, local shock damage from collapsing cave passages, hydraulic pressure, and cryogenic processes. Here we present a theoretical model to demonstrate that frost-heaving and fracture of flowstone floors that overlie wet sediments is both a feasible and likely consequence of unidirectional air flow or cold-air ponding in caves, and argue that this is the most likely mechanism for flowstone cracking in caves located in Pleistocene periglacial environments outside of tectonically active regions. Modeled parameters for a main passage in Kents …
Scientific Drilling Of Speleothems – A Technical Note, Christoph Spötl, David Mattey
Scientific Drilling Of Speleothems – A Technical Note, Christoph Spötl, David Mattey
International Journal of Speleology
This short article provides detailed descriptions of custom-made and commercially available hand-held drilling gear and options for water-flushing units specifically designed to obtained good-quality core material from speleothems even in remote cave regions. We use small-diameter (6-7 mm) diamond drill bits to obtain aliquots of calcite (as little as a few hundreds of milligram) from the interior of the basal part of in-situ stalagmites. These small cores are used to date the onset of stalagmite growth and occasionally to obtain other compositional information. Larger diameter drill bits produce cores 25-32 mm in diameter and up to 1.3 m in length …
Cora – A Dedicated Device For Carbon Dioxide Monitoring In Cave Environments, Marc Luetscher, Felix Ziegler
Cora – A Dedicated Device For Carbon Dioxide Monitoring In Cave Environments, Marc Luetscher, Felix Ziegler
International Journal of Speleology
High resolution time-series of cave CO2 fluctuations are increasingly demanded to quantify calcite precipitation processes. CORA, an energy-efficient NDIR-device, has been specifically developed for the long-term monitoring of carbon dioxide in remote cave environments. To allow comparison between different cave sites, changes in air pressure and temperature are compensated for using dedicated probes. Laboratory experiments demonstrate that CORA’s precision is adapted to the analysis of spatially and temporally variable CO2 regimes and therefore suitable for a large number of applications. Data obtained with 12 independently calibrated instruments are reproducible within 3% (1σ). The two-point calibration function is validated …
Alunite Formation Within Silica Stalactites From The Sydney Region, South-Eastern Australia, R. A.L. Wray
Alunite Formation Within Silica Stalactites From The Sydney Region, South-Eastern Australia, R. A.L. Wray
International Journal of Speleology
This paper presents X-ray diffraction and SEM evidence for the formation of alunite, and possibly small quantities of natroalunite, within opal-A stalactites formed on quartz sandstone near Sydney in south-eastern, Australia. Alunite has been reported as a speleogenetic mineral from sediments within a number of caves around the world, but this is believed to be the first report of speleothemic alunite in opaline silica speleothems. Individual alunite crystals have not been visually identified, but SEM X-ray element mapping suggests the alunite has formed amongst kaolinite clay. Sedimentary alunite and natroalunite formation is usually associated with the reaction of sulphuric acid …
Comparison Of 14c And U-Th Ages Of Two Holocene Phreatic Overgrowths On Speleothems From Mallorca (Western Mediterranean): Environmental Implications, Paola Tuccimei, Mark Van Strydonck, Angel Ginés, Joaquín Ginés, Michele Soligo, Igor M. Villa, Joan J. Fornós
Comparison Of 14c And U-Th Ages Of Two Holocene Phreatic Overgrowths On Speleothems From Mallorca (Western Mediterranean): Environmental Implications, Paola Tuccimei, Mark Van Strydonck, Angel Ginés, Joaquín Ginés, Michele Soligo, Igor M. Villa, Joan J. Fornós
International Journal of Speleology
This investigation reports on the comparison between ICP-MS U-Th and AMS 14C ages of Phreatic Overgrowths on Speleothems (POS) from two different caves on the island of Mallorca (Spain). These speleothem encrustations form at the water table of coastal caves in a low-amplitude tide-controlled microenvironment and are used to reconstruct past sea level changes. The aim of this study is to evaluate if this particular type of speleothem is datable using 14C method and to investigate possible problems connected with the incorporation of dead carbon inherited from the dissolution of 14C-free limestone. The results show that 14C ages are strongly …
Spatial Distribution Of Soda Straws Growth Rates Of The Coufin Cave (Vercors, France), Yves Perrette, Stéphane Jaillet
Spatial Distribution Of Soda Straws Growth Rates Of The Coufin Cave (Vercors, France), Yves Perrette, Stéphane Jaillet
International Journal of Speleology
The Choranche Cave system (Vercors, France) is an excellent locality for measuring the growth rates of large numbers soda straws. This is especially the case for the Coufin Cave, as enlargement of the cave entrance in 1875 led to a change in stalactite color from brown to white, thus providing a reliable chronomarker. The date of this brown-to-white calcite transition has been confirmed by lamina counting. We measured and georeferenced the growth-lengths of 306 soda straws in a 1m2 area of the roof of the Coufin Cave entrance chamber. Because of the very slow and sometimes inexistent water feeding …
Report Of A Three-Year Monitoring Programme At Heshang Cave, Central China, Chaoyong Hu, Gideon M. Henderson, Junhua Huang, Zhenghong Chen, Kathleen R. Johnson
Report Of A Three-Year Monitoring Programme At Heshang Cave, Central China, Chaoyong Hu, Gideon M. Henderson, Junhua Huang, Zhenghong Chen, Kathleen R. Johnson
International Journal of Speleology
Heshang Cave is situated in central China (30°27’N, 110°25’E; 294 m) in the middle reaches of the Yangtze Valley, a region strongly impacted by the East Asian Monsoon. It contains large annually-laminated Holocene and late Pleistocene stalagmites which capture past monsoon behaviour with seasonal resolution, and could enhance understanding of the amplitude and frequency of monsoon behaviour in different climate states. In this paper, we present results of a 3-year monitoring programme at Heshang. T loggers outside the cave agree closely with T data from nearby meteorological stations. T at the site of growth of the largest recovered stalagmite averages …
Annually Laminated Speleothems: A Review, Andy Baker, Claire L. Smith, Catherine Jex, Ian J. Fairchild, Dominique Genty, Lisa Fuller
Annually Laminated Speleothems: A Review, Andy Baker, Claire L. Smith, Catherine Jex, Ian J. Fairchild, Dominique Genty, Lisa Fuller
International Journal of Speleology
This review of annually laminated speleothems firstly considers the four types of annual laminae found within speleothems: fluorescent laminae formed by annual variations in organic matter flux; visible or petrographic laminae, formed by annual variations in calcite texture or fabric; calcite-aragonite couplets; and finally trace element laminae. The methods available to confirm the annual nature, or otherwise, of lamina deposition are reviewed. We consider the use of annual laminae in chronology building, with particular relevance to palaeoclimate reconstructions. Finally, the use of annual lamina width as a palaeoclimate proxy is reviewed.
Palaeoclimate Research In Villars Cave (Dordogne, Sw-France), Dominique Genty
Palaeoclimate Research In Villars Cave (Dordogne, Sw-France), Dominique Genty
International Journal of Speleology
Villars Cave is a typical shallow cave from South-West France (45.44°N; 0.78°E; 175 m asl) that has provided several speleothem palaeoclimatic records such as the millennial scale variability of the Last Glacial period and the Last Deglaciation. Monitoring the Villars cave environment over a 13-year period has helped in the understanding of the stable isotopic speleothem content and in the hydrology. For example, it was demonstrated that most of the calcite CaCO3 carbon comes from the soil CO2, which explains the sensitivity of the δ13C to any vegetation and climatic changes. Drip rate monitoring, carried …
Littoral Dripstone And Flowstone--Non-Spelean Carbonate Secondary Deposits, Danko Taborosi, Kevin Stafford
Littoral Dripstone And Flowstone--Non-Spelean Carbonate Secondary Deposits, Danko Taborosi, Kevin Stafford
International Journal of Speleology
Speleothem-like dripstone and flowstone deposits can form in the non-spelean environments of marine notches on tropical carbonate coastlines. Hereby termed “littoral dripstone” and “littoral flowstone” to distinguish them from genuine cave deposits, they reflect the basic speleothem types: draperies, stalactites, stalagmites, and columns. Nevertheless, these formations lack the luster and crystallinity of cave analogues, and are not nearly as well-developed, dense, and massive. They are composed of layered microcrystalline aragonite and calcite, are generally highly porous, and invariably overlie dissolutional and bioerosional karren. Because true speleothems, often found in the remnants of solution voids breached by coastal erosion, are also …