Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Isotope Geochemistry And Geochronology Of Lavas From The Line Islands Chain, Central Pacific Basin: Insight Into The Origin Of The Line Islands, Lauren Storm

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Geochemical compositions of melts produced in the Earth's mantle provide key data for understanding Earth's internal structure. Particularly, the compositions of unusually large outpourings of basaltic lavas in large igneous provinces involve substantial source volumes, thereby contributing to our understanding of mantle structure and dynamics. Although the origin of such lavas remains enigmatic, geochemically they may originate from Earth's oldest and deepest mantle reservoir, transported by a mantle plume or by entrainment in passive upwelling beneath a fast spreading center. The Pacific Ocean basin hosts several large igneous provinces that formed near a triple junction of three oceanic plates, and …

Partial Orders For Representing Uncertainty, Causality And Decision Making: General Properties, Operations, And Algorithms, Francisco Adolfo Zapata

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

One of the main objectives of science and engineering is to help people select the most beneficial decisions. To make these decisions, we must know people's preferences, we must have the information about different possible consequences of different decisions. Since information is never absolutely accurate and precise, we must also have information about the degree of certainty of different parts on information. All these types of information naturally lead to partial orders:

- For preferences, a <= b means that b is preferable to a. This relation is used in decision theory.

- For events, a <= b means that a can influence b. This causality relation is one of the fundamental notions of physics, especially of physics of space-time.

* For uncertain statements, a <= b means that a is less certain than b. This relation is used in logics describing uncertainty, such as fuzzy logic.

In each of these areas, there is abundant research about studying the corresponding partial orders. …

Biological Effects Of Copper On Prosopis Pubescens (Screw Bean Mesquite), Marian Nicte Zappala

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Phytoremediation is an emerging technology for cleaning industrial and urban contamination (Peuke and Rennenberg, 2005). Many factors including germination rate, biomass changes, biochemical changes, and nutrient changes must be determined in order to utilize a plant for phytoremediation. Our results showed that Prosopis pubescens (Screw bean mesquite) is a hyperaccumulator of copper from copper sulfate and a feasible option to remediate fields with up to 200 ppm of copper sulfate.

Screw bean mesquite seeds are viable even after 30 years of storage. Both copper sulfate and copper nitrate decreased the germination rate of screw bean mesquite seeds. In soil grown …

Swimming Performance Of Epigeal And Hypogeal Species Of Characidae, With An Emphasis On The Troglobiotic Stygichthys Typhlops Brittan & Böhlke, 1965, Francisco Alexandre Costa Sampaio, Paolo Santos Pompeu, Hersília De Andrade E Santos, Rodrigo Lopes Ferreira

International Journal of Speleology

Swimming performance of fish constitutes a good ecophysiological tool to evaluate the ability of species to use different types of habitats. In order to understand how the swimming performance is related to the hydraulic environment, we compared the critical velocity of five fish (Characidae): Stygichthys typhlops (groundwater troglobiotic); Piabina argentea and Bryconamericus stramineus (riverine); Hemigrammus marginatus (generalist, found in rivers and floodplains) and Psellogrammus kennedyi (lacustrine). Swimming speed tests were performed in a respirometer-type apparatus. Total body length was the variable that best explained the maximum speed attained by all species under study. The critical swimming speed values (in body …

Relationship Between Carbon Dioxide In Balcarka Cave And Adjacent Soils In The Moravian Karst Region Of The Czech Republic, Jiří Faimon, Monika Ličbinská, Petr Zajíček

International Journal of Speleology

Carbon dioxide concentration, air temperature, and humidity were monitored at (1) two cave sites and (2) three adjacent karst soils. The data over a one-year period are supported by dripwater chemistry and cave visiting frequency. The results indicate that the sources of cave CO2 are anthropogenic and epikarstic ones in addition to ordinary soils. Epikarstic CO2 produced under almost stationary conditions probably control dripwater chemistry and cave’s CO2 maxima. Based on breathing and door opening, anthropogenic activity affects instantaneous cave CO2 levels, depending on site volume/position and visitor number. A conceptual model of the CO2 dynamics of the soil-cave system …

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 …

Active Tectonics And Earthquake Destructions In Caves Of Northern And Central Switzerland, Arnfried Becker, Philipp Häuselmann, Jost Eikenberg, Eric Gilli

International Journal of Speleology

The present publication focuses on the study of caves in northern and central Switzerland in order to detect and date historical earthquakes and active tectonic displacements by investigations of broken and resealed or displaced speleothems datable by U/Th and ¹⁴C. While it can be shown that these methods are potentially suitable, the ages obtained are often beyond the range of historically recorded earthquakes, and it cannot be proved that the observed and dated events are related to a seismic event. Particularly this is true for the caves in central Switzerland, where most ages in the Melchsee-Frutt region were beyond …

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 …

Identifying The Link Between Lineament And Cave Passage Trends To Comprehend Fractures Continuity And Influence On The Kinta Valley Karst System, Solomon Kassa, Bernard Pierson, Weng S. Chow, Jasmi B. Ab. Talib

International Journal of Speleology

The Kinta Valley karst landscape is characterised by residual limestone hills scattered all over the valley. The aim of this study is to ascertain the link between lineament and cave passage orientations, and to identify the main fracture controlling the karst features. To achieve that, standard cave surveying and direct lineament extraction techniques, from a 2.5m resolution spot image, were employed. Six trends of lineaments were obtained from the remnant limestone hills, and their main orientation appears to be in the NNW-SSE. Similarly, various caves were surveyed and mapped; their passage orientation analyses reveal that NNW-SSE is the prominent direction. …

Diversity And Community Assembly Patterns Of Epigean Vs. Troglobiont Spiders In The Iberian Peninsula, Pedro Cardoso

International Journal of Speleology

Cave-obligate organisms usually have smaller ranges and their assemblages have higher beta diversity than their epigean counterparts. Phylogenetic and functional diversity is usually low in cave communities, leading to taxonomic and functional disharmony, with entire groups missing from the subterranean realm. The objective of this work is to compare range, beta diversity, phylogenetic and functional diversity, taxonomic and functional disharmony of epigean versus troglobiont spiders in the Iberian Peninsula.

The median extent of occurrence was found to be 33 times higher for epigean than for cave species. Beta diversity was significantly higher for troglobiont assemblages. Cave assemblages present lower phylogenetic …

Chemical Defense In The Cave-Dwelling Millipede Brachydesmus Troglobius Daday, 1889 (Diplopoda, Polydesmidae), Slobodan E. Makarov, Ljubodrag V. Vujisić, Božidar P. M. Ćurčić, Bojan S. Ilić, Vele V. Tešević, Vlatka E. Vajs, Ivan M. Vučković, Bojan M. Mitić, Luka R. Lučić, Iris Ž. Đorđević

International Journal of Speleology

The troglomorphic millipede Brachydesmus troglobius Daday, 1889 (Polydesmida: Polydesmidae) secretes allomones from glands on both lateral surfaces of its body segments. The secretion was identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis with electron and chemical ionization, and was shown to be composed of a mixture of benzaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, benzoylnitrile, benzoic acid and mandelonitrile benzoate. Hydrogen cyanide was qualitatively identified by the picric acid test. This is the first identification of these compounds in a cave-dwelling polydesmid.

Volcanic Caves: Priorities For Conserving The Azorean Endemic Troglobiont Species, Paulo A.V. Borges Prof., Pedro Cardoso, Isabel R. Amorim, Fernando Pereira, João P. Constância, João C. Nunes, Paulo Barcelos, Paulino Costa, Rosalina Gabriel, Maria L. Dapkevicius

International Journal of Speleology

Azorean lava-tubes and volcanic pits adequately sampled for arthropod fauna were evaluated for species diversity and rarity. An iterative partial multiple regression analysis was performed to produce a multi-criteria index (Importance Value for Cave Conservation, IV-CC) incorporating arthropod species diversity indices but also including indices qualifying cave geological and management features (e.g., the diversity of geological structures, threats, accessibility). Additionally, we calculated complementarity solutions (irreplaceability and Fraction-of-Spare measures) for each cave with different targets per species, i.e., the minimum number of caves needed for each species to be represented either once or twice. Our results clearly show that to preserve …

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, …

Cover: Volume 41, Issue 1

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Karst Evolution In The South Mediterranean Area – Environmental Impact On Human Life And Civil Planning, Leonardo Piccini

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

Book Review: South China Karst I, Arrigo A. Cigna

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

In Memorium: Joaquin Montoriol Pous

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

Chemoorganotrophic Bacteria Isolated From Biodeteriorated Surfaces In Cave And Catacombs, Filomena De Leo, Agnese Iero, Gabrielle Zammit, Clara E. Urzi

International Journal of Speleology

The main objective of this work was the comparative analysis of a large number of bacterial strains isolated from biodeteriorated surfaces in three different sites, namely the catacombs of St. Callistus in Rome, Italy, the catacombs dedicated to St. Agatha in Rabat, Malta and the Cave of Bats in Zuheros, Spain. Our results showed that even considering only culturable chemoorganotrophic bacteria the variability is very high, reflecting the great variety of microhabitats present. Hence any strategies to prevent, control or eliminate the biofilm-embedded microbiota from an archeological surface should take into account a number of considerations as stipulated in our …

Corrosion Of Limestone Tablets In Sulfidic Ground-Water: Measurements And Speleogenetic Implications, Sandro Galdenzi

International Journal of Speleology

The measurement of the weight loss in limestone tablets placed in the Grotta del Fiume (Frasassi, Italy) provided data on the rate of limestone dissolution due to the sulfidic water and on the influence of local environmental conditions.

A linear average corrosion rate of 24 mm ka^-1 was measured in stagnant water, while the values were higher (68-119 mm ka^-1) where the hydrologic conditions facilitate water movement and gas exchanges. In these zones the increase in water aggressivity is due to mixing with descending, O₂-rich, seepage water and is also favored by easier gas exchange …

Duality Of Terrestrial Subterranean Fauna, Tone Novak, Matjaž Perc, Saška Lipovšek, Franc Janžekovič

International Journal of Speleology

Terrestrial animals in subterranean habitats are often classified according to their degree of morphological or ecological specialization to the subterranean environment. The commonly held view is that, as distance into a cave increases, the frequency of morphologically specialized, i.e., troglomorphic, species or ecological specialization will increase. We tested this hypothesis for the fauna in 54 caves in Slovenia–the classical land for subterranean biology. We found that there exist two ecologically well separated terrestrial subsurface faunas: one shallow and one deep. 1) The shallow subterranean fauna, adapted to the terrestrial shallow subterranean habitats (SSHs) in the upper 10 m of subsurface …

Speleogenetic Effects Of Interaction Between Deeply Derived Fracture-Conduit Flow And Intrastratal Matrix Flow In Hypogene Karst Settings, Alexander Klimchouk, Elizaveta Tymokhina, Gennadiy Amelichev

International Journal of Speleology

In carbonate rocks, especially in those with high primary porosity such as most Cenozoic carbonates, the interaction between deeply derived rising flow through sub-vertical fracture-controlled conduits and intrastratal matrix flow of shallower systems can invoke mixing corrosion and result in prominent speleogenetic effects. This paper outlines a conceptual model of such interaction and provides instructive field examples of relevant morphological effects from two different regions within the Prichernomorsky (north Black Sea) basin, where karst features are developed in lower Pliocene, Eocene and Paleocene limestones. In the Crimean fore-mountain region, extensive steep to vertical limestone scarps formed through recent exposure of …

In Defense Of A Fluctuating-Interface, Particle-Accretion Origin Of Folia, Donald G. Davis

International Journal of Speleology

Two recent papers have proposed radically different modes of origin for cave folia. Audra et al. (2009) propose subaqueous origin of carbonate folia via hypogenic CO₂ bubble trapping, with concurrent condensation-corrosion and evaporative precipitation within individual folia gas pockets. Queen (2009) proposes that at least some folia are analogous to suboceanic tufa-tower "flanges" and may result from subaqueous freshwater mixing into a briny environment. The purpose of this paper is to show that neither of these mechanisms can be the fundamental process responsible for folia morphology in cave deposits, and that accretion from adherent particles at fluctuating interfaces is …

The World’S Deepest Subterranean Community - Krubera-Voronja Cave (Western Caucasus), Alberto Sendra, Ana Sofia P.S. Reboleira

International Journal of Speleology

Subsurface biota extends over a wide variety of habitats that can be spatially interconnected. The largest communities of this subsurface biota inhabit cavities and are well known mainly in caves where biologists are able to have access. Data about deep subterranean communities and arthropods living under one thousand meters was unknown.

An expedition to world’s deepest cave, Krubera-Voronja in Western Caucasus, revealed an interesting subterranean community, living below 2000 meters and represented by more than 12 species of arthropods, including several new species for science. This deep cave biota is composed of troglobionts and also epigean species, that can penetrate …

Gypsum-Carbonate Speleothems From Cueva De Las Espadas (Naica Mine, Mexico): Mineralogy And Palaeohydrogeological Implications, Fernando Gázquez, Jose Maria Calaforra, Paolo Forti, Fernando Rull, Jesús Martínez-Frías

International Journal of Speleology

Some of the most outstanding hypogenic gypsum speleothems worldwide have been recently discovered in the Naica mines. The Cueva de las Espadas (Swords Cave), which lies at 120 m depth, hosts a rare type of speleothem called “espada” (“sword”). This study contributes to the understanding of the mineralogical composition of these singular speleothems, by means of their examination using micro-Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy and EDX microprobe. Our data revealed a complex mineralogy comprising a high-purity selenite core covered by several layers of calcite, aragonite and gypsum. Solid inclusions of polymetallic oxides (Mn-Pb-Zn) and graphite were also detected. The position of …

Distribution Survey Of Cyanobacteria In Three Greek Caves Of Peloponnese, Vasiliki Lamprinou, Daniel B. Danielidis Associate Professor, Athena Economou-Amilli Professor, Adriani Pantazidou Assistant Professor

International Journal of Speleology

Caves and hypogean environments host various phototrophic microorganisms, with Cyanobacteria constituting the major group. The spatial and temporal distribution of Cyanobacteria (156 taxa in total) from three Greek caves, located in the limestone arc of Peloponnese and differing in morphology, was studied. The community patterns in different ecological niches were analyzed in relation to environmental parameters (Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Temperature, and Relative Humidity). Cyanobacterial communities were found to thrive in patchy biofilms and showed known protective strategies against desiccation and irradiation. The nMDS analysis of the cumulative seasonal samples per sampling site showed no general pattern of distribution, with a …

Petrographic And Isotopic Evidence For Late-Stage Processes In Sulfuric Acid Caves Of The Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico, Usa, Margaret V. Palmer, Arthur N. Palmer

International Journal of Speleology

Caves of the Guadalupe Mountains have experienced many modifications since their final phase of sulfuric acid speleogenesis several million years ago. Petrographic and geochemical data reveal details of the change from H₂SO₄ to CO₂-dominated reactions. The H₂SO₄ dissolution front acquired a coating of replacement gypsum with local pockets of anhydrite and by-products of altered clay, including Fe-Mn oxides. Alteration of bedrock beneath the gypsum produced a white micritized rind with small negative shifts in δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O. Solution basins contain records of the earliest post-speleogenetic processes: corroded bedrock, …

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 …

Spatially Dense Drip Hydrological Monitoring And Infiltration Behaviour At The Wellington Caves, South East Australia, Catherine N. Jex, Gregoire Mariethoz, Andy Baker, Peter Graham, Martin S. Andersen, Ian Acworth, Nerilee Edwards, Cecilia Azcurra

International Journal of Speleology

Despite the fact that karst regions are recognised as significant groundwater resources, the nature of groundwater flow paths in the unsaturated zone of such fractured rock is at present poorly understood. Many traditional methods for constraining groundwater flow regimes in karst aquifers are focussed on the faster drainage components and are unable to inform on the smaller fracture or matrix-flow components of the system. Caves however, offer a natural inception point to observe both the long term storage and the preferential movement of water through the unsaturated zone of such fractured carbonate rock by monitoring of drip rates of stalactites, …

A Large Cervidae Holocene Accumulation In Eastern Brazil: An Example Of Extreme Taphonomical Control In A Cave Environment, Alex Hubbe, Augusto S. Auler

International Journal of Speleology

A remarkable cervid bone accumulation occurs at a single passage (named Cervid Passage; CP) at Lapa Nova, a maze cave in eastern Brazil. CP lies away from cave entrances, is a typical pitfall passage and contains bone remains of at least 121 cervids, besides few bats, peccaries and rodents remains. There is no evidence of water (or sediment) flow at the site and in general bones lack post depositional alterations and display anatomical proximity, suggesting that the majority of the remains found inside CP (mainly cervids) are due to animals that after entering the cave got trapped in the site. …