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Full-Text Articles in Earth Sciences
An Attempt To Identify Source Areas Of Clastic Deposits From Selected Caves Of The Prokletije Mountains (Montenegro): A Mineralogical And U-Series Geochemistry Approach, Ditta Kicińska, Jacek Pawlak, Jacek Stienss
An Attempt To Identify Source Areas Of Clastic Deposits From Selected Caves Of The Prokletije Mountains (Montenegro): A Mineralogical And U-Series Geochemistry Approach, Ditta Kicińska, Jacek Pawlak, Jacek Stienss
International Journal of Speleology
The Prokletije Mountains/Albanian Alps are the highest part of the Dinaric Mountains. Paradoxically, these mountains and their cave areas remain among the most enigmatic in Europe, having only recently become subjects of scientific research and cave exploration. This paper focuses on the Kolata and Greben massifs, where the highest, and thus the oldest, cave systems are located. Through the analysis of heavy mineral composition, the apatite-tourmaline index, and cluster analysis for mineralogical composition and uranium isotopic data, it becomes possible to identify the source areas for the cave clastic deposits. It also allow to distinguish multiple paleoflow directions, each corresponding …
Speleothems In Sandstone Crevice And Boulder Caves Of The Elbe River Canyon, Czech Republic, Jiří Adamovič, Jaroslav Kukla, Michal Filippi, Roman Skála, Noemi Mészárosová
Speleothems In Sandstone Crevice And Boulder Caves Of The Elbe River Canyon, Czech Republic, Jiří Adamovič, Jaroslav Kukla, Michal Filippi, Roman Skála, Noemi Mészárosová
International Journal of Speleology
A variety of speleothems are present in crevice and boulder caves developed in Cretaceous sandstones of the Elbe River Canyon in northern Czech Republic. A set of complementary instrumental mineralogical methods was applied to characterize the speleothems and cave dripwaters, including X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and microanalysis, Raman spectroscopy and optical emission spectrometry. Four morphological types were distinguished and characterized in terms of their mineral and chemical composition: 1, rusty brown mud-dominated coatings with micro-gours, composed of a mixture of clay minerals; 2, white “chalky” coatings (moonmilk) composed of calcite with minor gypsum; 3, cauliflower-shaped coralloids composed of …
Bubble Trail And Folia In Cenote Zapote, Mexico: Petrographic Evidence For Abiotic Precipitation Driven By Co2 Degassing Below The Water Table, Rafael López-Martínez, Fernando Gázquez, José M. Calaforra, Philippe Audra, Jean Y. Bigot, Teresa Pi Puig, Rocío J. Alcántara-Hernández, Ángel Navarro, Philippe Crochet, Liliana Corona Martínez, Raquel Daza Brunet
Bubble Trail And Folia In Cenote Zapote, Mexico: Petrographic Evidence For Abiotic Precipitation Driven By Co2 Degassing Below The Water Table, Rafael López-Martínez, Fernando Gázquez, José M. Calaforra, Philippe Audra, Jean Y. Bigot, Teresa Pi Puig, Rocío J. Alcántara-Hernández, Ángel Navarro, Philippe Crochet, Liliana Corona Martínez, Raquel Daza Brunet
International Journal of Speleology
Folia are speleothems that resemble bells, inverted cups, or bracket fungi, and whose origins are still controversial. Cenote Zapote (an underwater cave) in the Yucatán Peninsula (México), is home to some of the largest folia reported to date. These speleothems are currently growing in an active underwater system, meaning this site offers an excellent opportunity to constrain the different formation models proposed for folia, which have traditionally relied on inactive examples. In Cenote Zapote, folia are closely related to bubble trails and cupolas, suggesting an underwater CO2-degassing process. In thin section, they display a succession of columnar-open and …
Speleothems In Quartz-Sandstone Caves Of Ponta Grossa Municipality, Campos Gerais Region, Paraná State, Southern Brazil, Henrique S. Pontes, Luiz A. Fernandes, Mário S. De Melo, Gilson B. Guimarães, Laís L. Massuqueto
Speleothems In Quartz-Sandstone Caves Of Ponta Grossa Municipality, Campos Gerais Region, Paraná State, Southern Brazil, Henrique S. Pontes, Luiz A. Fernandes, Mário S. De Melo, Gilson B. Guimarães, Laís L. Massuqueto
International Journal of Speleology
The present communication characterizes and discusses the genesis of cave speleothems developed in Furnas Formation (Silurian-Devonian) and Vila Velha sub-unit (Campo Mourão Formation, Upper Carboniferous) quartz-sandstones, in southern Brazil. The research, which involved stratigraphic and petrographic studies, was conducted to identify the faciological context of occurrence of these features, and to determine, through different analytical methods, their mineralogical composition and porosity, and also the action of microbial markers on the genesis of these secondary mineral deposits. The speleothems were classified into six types based on form, composition and genesis: (1) arborescent (coral), (2) mushroom-shaped, (3) stalactitic, (4) stalagmitic, (5) columnar …
Active Growth Of Non-Hydrothermal Subaqueous And Subaerial Barite (Baso4) Speleothems In Lechuguilla Cave (New Mexico, Usa), Max Wisshak, Hazel A. Barton, Katey E. Bender, Harvey R. Duchene
Active Growth Of Non-Hydrothermal Subaqueous And Subaerial Barite (Baso4) Speleothems In Lechuguilla Cave (New Mexico, Usa), Max Wisshak, Hazel A. Barton, Katey E. Bender, Harvey R. Duchene
International Journal of Speleology
Barite (BaSO4) speleothems have been reported from caves around the globe and interpreted to have chiefly formed in phreatic, hypogene, hydrothermal settings. Here we report two contrasting types of barite speleothems (bluish tabular crystals in a shallow pool and actively dripping greenish stalactites), which today form at lower temperatures in the non-hydrothermal and vadose environment of Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico, USA. Scanning electron microscopy analysis, along with energy- and wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS, WDS), as well as X-ray diffraction (XRD), characterize the habit and chemical composition as barite. Fractionation of the minor element calcium is related to growth …
Isolution 1.0: An Isotope Evolution Model Describing The Stable Oxygen (Δ18O) And Carbon (Δ13C) Isotope Values Of Speleothems, Michael Deininger, Denis Scholz
Isolution 1.0: An Isotope Evolution Model Describing The Stable Oxygen (Δ18O) And Carbon (Δ13C) Isotope Values Of Speleothems, Michael Deininger, Denis Scholz
International Journal of Speleology
Stable oxygen and carbon isotope ratios (δ13C and δ18O) are the most applied climate and environmental proxies in speleothems allowing to infer past changes in cave drip water δ13C and δ18O related to climate and environmental variations from above the cave. However, disequilibrium isotope fractionation processes can modify δ13C and δ18O values in speleothems, which is in most cases difficult to estimate due to inter-dependencies on various cave specific parameter. To better understand the effect of these disequilibrium isotope fractionation processes proxy system models were developed in recent …
Petrographical And Geochemical Changes In Bosnian Stalagmites And Their Palaeo-Environmental Significance, Veronica Chiarini, Isabelle Couchoud, Russell Drysdale, Petra Bajo, Simone Milanolo, Silvia Frisia, Alan Greig, John Hellstrom, Jo De Waele
Petrographical And Geochemical Changes In Bosnian Stalagmites And Their Palaeo-Environmental Significance, Veronica Chiarini, Isabelle Couchoud, Russell Drysdale, Petra Bajo, Simone Milanolo, Silvia Frisia, Alan Greig, John Hellstrom, Jo De Waele
International Journal of Speleology
Detailed petrographic observations have been coupled with trace element and δ13C - δ18O analyses in order to investigate their dynamics in two Holocene Bosnian speleothems. The potential of this multiproxy approach in providing a means to extract palaeo-environmental information from stalagmites whose stable isotope signals are noisy and without obvious trends has been tested. The studied stalagmites are mostly characterized by columnar microcrystalline fabric. At the sub-millimetre scale of lamination, different microcrystalline columnar sub-types (open and closed) have been detected and classified on the basis of the observed porosity and the crystallite size. The presence of …
High-Resolution Signatures Of Oxygenation And Microbiological Activity In Speleothem Fluid Inclusions, Nigel Blamey, Penelope J. Boston, Laura Rosales-Lagarde
High-Resolution Signatures Of Oxygenation And Microbiological Activity In Speleothem Fluid Inclusions, Nigel Blamey, Penelope J. Boston, Laura Rosales-Lagarde
International Journal of Speleology
Speleothems frequently host “fossil” fluids that were trapped in small inclusions during growth. Such fluids may provide valuable clues to past microbial, geochemical, and climatic processes during their formation. However, one difficulty is to understand which gases represent background atmosphere and fluids within a given cave system at a particular time, and which may be the product of post-trapping residual microbial activity or abiotic chemical reactions? Do we have any hope of sorting out these differences? The success depends on a quantitative understanding of the gas composition trapped in the inclusions and an understanding of the interactions of cave mineralogy, …
Microstratigraphic Logging Of Calcite Fabrics In Speleothems As Tool For Palaeoclimate Studies, Silvia Frisia
Microstratigraphic Logging Of Calcite Fabrics In Speleothems As Tool For Palaeoclimate Studies, Silvia Frisia
International Journal of Speleology
The systematic documentation of calcite fabrics in stalagmites and flowstones provides robustness to palaeoclimate interpretation based on geochemical proxies, but it has been neglected because it is difficult to transform crystal morphologies into numerical values, and construct fabric time series. Here, general criteria that allow for coding fabrics of calcite composing stalagmites and flowstones is provided. Being based on known models of fabric development, the coding ascribes sequential numbers to each fabric, which reflect climate-related parameters, such as changes in drip rate variability, bio-mediation or diagenetic modifications. Acronyms are proposed for Columnar types, Dendritic, Micrite, Microsparite and Mosaic fabrics, whose …
Speleothems In Cova Des Pas De Vallgornera: Their Distribution And Characteristics Within An Extensive Coastal Cave From The Eogenetic Karst Of Southern Mallorca (Western Mediterranean), Antoni Merino, Joaquín Ginés, Paola Tuccimei, Michele Soligo, Joan J. Fornós
Speleothems In Cova Des Pas De Vallgornera: Their Distribution And Characteristics Within An Extensive Coastal Cave From The Eogenetic Karst Of Southern Mallorca (Western Mediterranean), Antoni Merino, Joaquín Ginés, Paola Tuccimei, Michele Soligo, Joan J. Fornós
International Journal of Speleology
The abundance and variety of speleothems are undoubtedly among the remarkable features of Cova des Pas de Vallgornera, the longest cave system in Mallorca Island developed in the eogenetic karst of its southern coast. Due to the monotonous carbonate lithology of the area, most of the speleothems are composed of calcite and in a few cases aragonite, although other minerals are also represented (e.g., gypsum, celestine, barite.). However, in spite of the rather common mineralogy of the speleothems, its distribution results strongly mediated by the lithologic and textural variability linked to the architecture of the Upper Miocene reefal rocks. Apart …
Speleothem Microstructure/Speleothem Ontogeny: A Review Of Western Contributions, William B. White
Speleothem Microstructure/Speleothem Ontogeny: A Review Of Western Contributions, William B. White
International Journal of Speleology
Mineral ontogeny is the study of the growth and development of mineral deposits in general and, in the present context, speleothems in particular. Previous researchers, mainly in Russia, have developed a nomenclatural hierarchy based on the forms and habits of individual crystals and the assembly of individual crystals into both monomineralic and polymineralic aggregates (i.e. speleothems). Although investigations of the growth processes of speleothems are sparse, there is a large literature on growth processes of speleothem minerals and related crystals in the geochemical and materials science literature. The purpose of the present paper is to sort through the various concepts …
Diagenesis Of A Drapery Speleothem From Castañar Cave: From Dissolution To Dolomitization, Andrea Martín-Pérez, Rebeca Martín-García, Ana M. Alonso-Zarza
Diagenesis Of A Drapery Speleothem From Castañar Cave: From Dissolution To Dolomitization, Andrea Martín-Pérez, Rebeca Martín-García, Ana M. Alonso-Zarza
International Journal of Speleology
A drapery speleothem (DRA-1) from Castañar Cave in Spain was subjected to a detailed petrographical study in order to identify its primary and diagenetic features. The drapery’s present day characteristics are the result of the combined effects of the primary and diagenetic processes that DRA-1 underwent. Its primary minerals are calcite, aragonite and huntite. Calcite is the main constituent of the speleothem, whereas aragonite forms as frostwork over the calcite. Huntite is the main mineral of moonmilk which covers the tips of aragonite. These primary minerals have undergone a set of diagenetic processes, which include: 1) partial dissolution or corrosion …
Comparative Microbial Sampling From Eutrophic Caves In Slovenia And Slovakia Using Rida ®Count Test Kits, Janez Mulec, Václav Krištůfek, Alica Chroňáková
Comparative Microbial Sampling From Eutrophic Caves In Slovenia And Slovakia Using Rida ®Count Test Kits, Janez Mulec, Václav Krištůfek, Alica Chroňáková
International Journal of Speleology
RIDA®COUNT test plates were used as an easy-to-handle and rapid indicator of microbial counts in karst ecosystems of several caves in Slovakia and Slovenia. All of the caves had a high organic input from water streams, tourists, roosting bat colonies or terrestrial surroundings. We sampled swabs, water and air samples to test robustness and universality of the RIDA®COUNT test kit (R-Biopharm AG, Germany, http://www.r-biopharm.com/) for quantification of total bacteria, coliforms, yeast and mold. Using data from swabs (colony-forming units per cm2) we proposed a scale for description of biocontamination level or superficial microbial load of cave niches. Based …
Measurement Of Luminescent Banding In Speleothems: Some Techniques And Limitations, Bryan E. Crowell, William B. White
Measurement Of Luminescent Banding In Speleothems: Some Techniques And Limitations, Bryan E. Crowell, William B. White
International Journal of Speleology
Speleothems, especially flowstone and cylindrical stalagmites, exhibit phosphorescence which is often banded on the scale of a few tens of micrometers. The luminescence bands are paleoclimatic records with a very high temporal resolution. A technique has been developed using a laser source and a high resolution Raman spectrometer with microscope and computer-controlled translation stage for both luminescence profiles and luminescence spectroscopy. Luminescence intensity could be measured as a function of traverse distance with a spatial resolution of 2 – 3 μm. Potential sources of error include loss of intensity due to radiation damage by the laser beam, irregularities, cracks, and …
Organic Matter Of Fossil Origin In The Amberine Speleothems From El Soplao Cave (Cantabria, Northern Spain), Fernando Gázquez, Jose Maria Calaforra, Fernando Rull, Paolo Forti, Antonio García-Casco
Organic Matter Of Fossil Origin In The Amberine Speleothems From El Soplao Cave (Cantabria, Northern Spain), Fernando Gázquez, Jose Maria Calaforra, Fernando Rull, Paolo Forti, Antonio García-Casco
International Journal of Speleology
Unusual amberine-coloured speleothems were recently found in El Soplao Cave (Cantabria, Spain). Chromophore elements such as Fe, Mn, Cd, Co or Ti were not present in significant quantities. Rather, our data show that their colour comes from leachates of fossilized organic material hosted in the carbonaceous Urgonian facies of the host rock. These leachates are related to the Cretaceous amber deposit that has been recently discovered in the vicinity of El Soplao Cave. The presence of humic and fulvic acids of fossil origin were confirmed by IR and Raman spectroscopic analysis of the carbonaceous strata and the speleothems. In addition, …
Black Mn-Fe Crusts As Markers Of Abrupt Palaeoenvironmental Changes In El Soplao Cave (Cantabria, Spain), Fernando Gázquez, Jose Maria Calaforra, Paolo Forti
Black Mn-Fe Crusts As Markers Of Abrupt Palaeoenvironmental Changes In El Soplao Cave (Cantabria, Spain), Fernando Gázquez, Jose Maria Calaforra, Paolo Forti
International Journal of Speleology
Peculiar iron and manganese deposits coating walls, floors and ceilings of many galleries are one of the special features of the El Soplao Cave (Cantabria, Spain). These speleothems appear to have been deposited over wall clay deposits, as well as forming part of flowstones. Structure of crusts is essentially amorphous but several manganese and iron oxides were identified like goethite and birnessite, though all occur with a low degree of crystallinity. In the outer layer of the crusts, alteration iron minerals appear that derive from previous minerals in a process probably mediated by microorganisms. EDX microanalyses report fairly high values …
Age Frequency Distribution And Revised Stable Isotope Curves For New Zealand Speleothems: Palaeoclimatic Implications, Paul W. Williams, Helen L. Neil, Jian-Xin Zhao
Age Frequency Distribution And Revised Stable Isotope Curves For New Zealand Speleothems: Palaeoclimatic Implications, Paul W. Williams, Helen L. Neil, Jian-Xin Zhao
International Journal of Speleology
The occurrence of speleothems in New Zealand with reversed magnetism indicates that secondary calcite deposition in caves has occurred for more than 780 thousand years (ka). 394 uranium-series dates on 148 speleothems show that such deposition has taken place somewhere in the country with little interruption for more than 500 ka. A relative probability distribution of speleothem ages indicates that most growth occurred in mild, moist interglacial and interstadial intervals, a conclusion reinforced by comparing peaks and troughs in the distribution with time series curves of speleothem δ18O and δ13C values. The stable isotope time series …
The Environmental Features Of The Monte Corchia Cave System (Apuan Alps, Central Italy) And Their Effects On Speleothem Growth, L. Piccini, G. Zanchetta, R. N. Drysdale, J. Hellstrom, I. Isola, A. E. Fallick, G. Leone, M. Doveri, M. Mussi, F. Mantelli, G. Molli, L. Lotti, A. Roncioni, E. Regattieri, M. Meccheri, L. Vaselli
The Environmental Features Of The Monte Corchia Cave System (Apuan Alps, Central Italy) And Their Effects On Speleothem Growth, L. Piccini, G. Zanchetta, R. N. Drysdale, J. Hellstrom, I. Isola, A. E. Fallick, G. Leone, M. Doveri, M. Mussi, F. Mantelli, G. Molli, L. Lotti, A. Roncioni, E. Regattieri, M. Meccheri, L. Vaselli
International Journal of Speleology
The Monte Corchia cave system, one of the most famous and popular caves in Italy, has in recent times been the subject of investigation on its speleothems as paleoclimate archives. This paper describes the geology, geomorphology and water chemistry of the cave system with the aim to elucidate the processes that have generated these speleothems and the properties they contain that are so useful for paleoclimatology. Some general conclusions can be drawn: i) the Corchia system is a cave developed over different altitudes during progressive uplift of the mountain chain in which it is located, probably under drainage conditions very …
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
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 …
Petrographic And Geochemical Study On Cave Pearls From Kanaan Cave (Lebanon), Fadi H. Nader
Petrographic And Geochemical Study On Cave Pearls From Kanaan Cave (Lebanon), Fadi H. Nader
International Journal of Speleology
The Kanaan cave is situated at the coastal zone, north of Beirut City (capital of Lebanon). The cave is located within the upper part of the Jurassic Kesrouane Formation (Liassic to Oxfordian) which consists mainly of micritic limestone. Twenty seven cave pearls were subjected to petrographic (conventional and scanning electron microscopy) and geochemical analyses (major/trace elements and stable isotopes). The cave pearls were found in an agitated splash-pool with low mud content. They are believed to have formed through chemical precipitation of calcite in water over-saturated with calcium. The nucleus and micritic laminae show δ18OV-PDB values of …
Speleothems As Indicators Of Wet And Dry Periods, Ian John Fairchild, Emily Anne Mcmillan
Speleothems As Indicators Of Wet And Dry Periods, Ian John Fairchild, Emily Anne Mcmillan
International Journal of Speleology
Calcareous speleothems provide a record of dripwater composition which in turn is a function of climatic conditions. The historical focus of speleothem palaeoclimate studies has been on the derivation of palaeotemperatures through oxygen isotope studies. However, it is now realized that water availability is a more generally important control on their characteristics. Growth rate and growth morphology in principle should give rise to recognizable changes at low flow. However, accidental plumbing effects during aquifer evolution, can also lead to variations in water supply and it is not easy to distinguish these effects. In areas where there is a strong amount …
Activators Of Luminescence In Speleothems As Source Of Major Mistakes In Interpretation Of Luminescent Paleoclimatic Records, Y. Y. Shopov
Activators Of Luminescence In Speleothems As Source Of Major Mistakes In Interpretation Of Luminescent Paleoclimatic Records, Y. Y. Shopov
International Journal of Speleology
This work summarizes the main results of the operation of the International Program “Luminescence of Cave Minerals” of the commission on Physical Chemistry and Hydrogeology of Karst of UIS of UNESCO in the field of activators of speleothem luminescence. It discusses Activators of Luminescence in Speleothems as a source of major mistakes in the interpretation of luminescent paleoclimatic records. It demonstrates the existence of 6 types of luminescence of speleothems and cave minerals in dependence of the type of the luminescence center and its incorporation in the mineral. 24 different activators of photoluminescence of speleothem calcite and 11 of aragonite …
Trace Elements In Speleothems. A Short Review Of The State Of The Art, Sophie Verheyden
Trace Elements In Speleothems. A Short Review Of The State Of The Art, Sophie Verheyden
International Journal of Speleology
A state of the art of the research on trace elements of speleothems is given. First studies focussed on problems such as the colour of speleothems and the aragonite problem. Insitu studies and studies oriented towards a better understanding of vadose hydrology brought new insights in the controls on trace elemental composition of speleothems. Recent studies deal with microscale analyses and annual and intra-annual chemistry changes. Further in-situ studies should be performed to further differentiate influences, such as climate, soil/weathering and local hydrology in order to better constrain possible transfer functions between the surface and a speleothem.
Verification Of The Causes Of Glaciations And Sea Level Changes Using The Records Of Calcite Speleothems, Y. Shopov, D. Stoykova, L. Tsankov, M. Sanabria, J. Lundberg, L. Georgiev, P. Forti, D. Georgieva
Verification Of The Causes Of Glaciations And Sea Level Changes Using The Records Of Calcite Speleothems, Y. Shopov, D. Stoykova, L. Tsankov, M. Sanabria, J. Lundberg, L. Georgiev, P. Forti, D. Georgieva
International Journal of Speleology
The luminescence of calcite speleothems displays an exponential dependence on soil temperature unless there is a dense cover of forest over the cave to dampen it. This relationship is determined primarily by the strength of solar visible and infrared radiation. It is suggested that, as a consequence, the microzonal variations of luminescence often found in speleothems can be used as a proxy index of Solar Insolation. The luminescence solar insolation proxy record of a speleothem from Jewel Cave, South Dakota, USA, was found to display millenial and centennial cycles in the record. It exhibits a rapid increase in solar insolation …