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Full-Text Articles in Earth Sciences
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, …
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 …
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 …