Earth Sciences Commons^™

Guanophilic Fungi In Three Caves Of Southwestern Puerto Rico, Ángel M. Nieves-Rivera, Carlos J. Santos-Flores, Frank M. Dugan, Thomas E. Miller

International Journal of Speleology

Fifty species of guanophilic (bat guano-loving) fungi were isolated from field-collected samples within three caves in southwestern Puerto Rico; most were mitosporic fungi (23 species). The caves studied were Cueva La Tuna (Cabo Rojo), Cueva de Malano (Sistema de Los Chorros, San Germán), and Cueva Viento (El Convento Cave-Spring System, Guayanilla-Peñuelas). The most conspicuous fungus by far was the zygomycete Circinella umbellata (Mucorales). Circinella umbellata dominated the bat guano incubation chambers (Petri dishes lined with sterile filter paper moistened with sterile water) at ambient laboratory conditions. Nineteen species of basidiomycetes (e.g., Ganoderma cf. resinaceum, Geastrum cf. minimum, Lepiota …

A Terminological Matter: Paragenesis, Antigravitative Erosion Or Antigravitational Erosion?, Giancarlo Pasini

International Journal of Speleology

In the speleological literature three terms are utilized to designate the “ascending erosion”: paragenesis (= paragénésis, coined in 1968), antigravitative erosion (= erosione antigravitativa, coined in 1966) and antigravitational erosion (wrong English translation of the Italian term erosione antigravitativa, utilized later on). The term paragenesis should be abandoned because of the priority of the term erosione antigravitativa - on the ground of the “law of priority” – and because of its ambiguous etimology. On the other hand, the term antigravitational erosion should be forsaken in favour of the term antigravitative erosion, given the meaning that the terms gravitation and gravity …

Annual And Transient Signatures Of Gas Exchange And Transport In The Castañar De Ibor Cave (Spain), Angel Fernandez-Cortes, Sergio Sanchez-Moral, Soledad Cuezva, Juan Carlos Cañaveras, Rafael Abella

International Journal of Speleology

The large microclimatic stability is a basic characteristic of the subterranean karst systems and causes a high sensitivity to changes in environmental conditions. High-accuracy monitoring of Castañar de Ibor cave (Spain) determined the temporal evolution of the aerodynamic processes and ventilation rate by tracking CO₂ and ²²²Rn levels over a twelve-month period. This cave is characterized by a very stable microclimate, with high and relatively constant radon content (the mean value is 32200 Bq/m³, roughly, and the standard deviation is 7600 Bq/m³) and a moderate and quite stable CO2 concentration (the mean value is …

Impacts Of Alterations Of Organic Inputs On The Bacterial Community Within The Sediments Of Wind Cave, South Dakota, Usa, Marisa K. Chelius, Guy Beresford, Howard Horton, Meghan Quirk, Greg Selby, Rodney T. Simpson, Rodney Horrocks, John C. Moore

International Journal of Speleology

Wind Cave (WICA) in the Black Hills of South Dakota, like many mostly dry caves in temperate regions is an energy-starved system. The biotic communities that reside in these systems are low in diversity and simple in structure, and sensitive to changes in external inputs of organic matter. Caves open to tourist traffic offer an opportunity to study the impacts of organic matter amendments in the form of human and rodent hair and dander, clothing lint, material from rodent activity (nesting materials and feces), and algal growth in and around artificial lighting. This study reports on the impacts of carbon …

Productivity-Diversity Relationships From Chemolithoautotrophically Based Sulfidic Karst Systems, Megan L. Porter, Annette Summers Engel, Thomas C. Kane, Brian K. Kinkle

International Journal of Speleology

Although ecosystems thriving in the absence of photosynthetic processes are no longer considered unique phenomena, we have yet to understand how these ecosystems are energetically sustained via chemosynthesis. Ecosystem energetics were measured in microbial mats from active sulfidic caves (Movile Cave, Romania; Frasassi Caves, Italy; Lower Kane Cave, Wyoming, USA; and Cesspool Cave, Virginia, USA) using radiotracer techniques. We also estimated bacterial diversity using 16S rRNA sequences to relate the productivity measurements to the composition of the microbial communities. All of the microbial communities investigated were dominated by chemolithoautotrophic productivity, with the highest rates from Movile Cave at 281 g …

Lights And Shadows On The Conservation Of A Rock Art Cave: The Case Of Lascaux Cave, Fabiola Bastian, Claude Alabouvette

International Journal of Speleology

Lascaux Cave was discovered in 1940. Twenty years after the first microbial contamination signs appeared. In the last forty years the cave suffered different fungal invasions. Here we discuss the past, present and future of the cave and the conservation of its rock art paintings to the light of data obtained using culture-dependent and –independent methods.

Cottonballs, A Unique Subaqeous Moonmilk, And Abundant Subaerial Moonmilk In Cataract Cave, Tongass National Forest, Alaska, Megan D. Curry, Penelope J. Boston, Mike N. Spilde, James F. Baichtal, Andrew R. Campbell

International Journal of Speleology

The Tongass National Forest is known for its world-class karst features and contains the largest concentration of dissolutional caves in Alaska. Within these karst systems exist unusual and possibly unique formations exhibiting possible biological origin or influence. Cataract Cave is an example of such a system. This cave hosts a unique depositional setting in which so-called “cottonballs” line two permanent pools. The cottonballs are a calcitic deposit heavily entwined within a mass of microbial filaments. They are juxtaposed with extensive subaerial calcitic moonmilk wall deposit of a more conventional nature but of an extraordinary thickness and abundance. Both the cottonballs …

Microbial Communities And Associated Mineral Fabrics In Altamira Cave, Spain, Soledad Cuezva, Sergio Sanchez-Moral, Cesareo Saiz-Jimenez, Juan Carlos Cañaveras

International Journal of Speleology

Evidences of microbial colonizations were observed in Altamira Cave, Spain. These consisted of distinct small coloured colonies, both on walls and ceiling, mainly located in the area near the cave entrance, which progressed until reaching the Polychromes Hall. The colonizations were characterized by a high morphological and microstructural variability and related to biomineralization processes. Two main types of CaCO₃ deposits were related to the colonies: rosette- or nest-like aggregates of rhombohedral calcite crystals, and spheroid to hemispheroid CaCO₃ elements. Colonies distribution seems to be controlled by microenvironmental conditions inside the cavity. The areas of the cave showing higher …

The Association Between Bubble Trails And Folia: A Morphological And Sedimentary Indicator Of Hypogenic Speleogenesis By Degassing, Example From Adaouste Cave (Provence, France), Philippe Audra, Ludovic Mocochain, Jean-Yves Bigot, Jean-Claude Nobécourt

International Journal of Speleology

Bubble trails are subaqueous features in carbonate caves, which are made by the corrosion of ascending carbon dioxide bubbles. Folia are calcite deposits resembling inverted rimstone dams in saturated pools. Based on morphological studies in Adaouste Cave (Provence, France) and on studies elsewhere in the world, we propose a new genetic model for folia, close to the model of Green (1991). The association of bubble trails and folia, occurring on overhanging walls, is interpreted to be an indicator of hypogenic degassing occurring just below the water table. The association is the result of juxtaposed processes composed of corrosion along bubble …

Observations On The Cave-Associated Beetles (Coleoptera) Of Nova Scotia, Canada, Max Moseley

International Journal of Speleology

The cave-associated invertebrates of Nova Scotia constitute a fauna at a very early stage of post-glacial recolonization. The Coleoptera are characterized by low species diversity. A staphylinid Quedius spelaeus spelaeus, a predator, is the only regularly encountered beetle. Ten other terrestrial species registered from cave environments in the province are collected infrequently. They include three other rove-beetles: Brathinus nitidus, Gennadota canadensis and Atheta annexa. The latter two together with Catops gratiosus (Leiodidae) constitute a small group of cave-associated beetles found in decompositional situations. Quedius s. spelaeus and a small suite of other guanophiles live in accumulations of …

In Memoriam

Studia UBB Geologia

No abstract provided.

Events, Bogdan P. Onac, Corina Ionescu

Studia UBB Geologia

No abstract provided.

Thermo-Mineral Waters From The Cerna Valley Basin (Romania), Ioan Povara, Georgel Simion, Constantin Marin

Studia UBB Geologia

In the south-west of the Southern Carpathians, upstream from the confluence of Cerna with Belareca, an aquifer complex has developed, strongly influenced by hydrogeothermal phenomena, acting within two major geological structures, the Cerna Syncline and the Cerna Graben. The complex consists mainly in Jurassic and Cretaceous carbonate rocks, as well as in the upper part of the Cerna Granite, highly fractured, tectonically sunken into the graben. As a result of the tectonic processes which occurred after the end of the Jurassic-Cretaceous sedimentation cycle, limestones may be encountered at 1100 m altitude in the Mehedinţi Mountains, at 150 ¬¬600 m in …

Examples Of Weathering And Deterioration Of Tertiary Building Stones At St. Michaels Cathedral In Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Roman Koch, Paul Calin Racataianu, Ioan I. Bucur

Studia UBB Geologia

St. Michaels Cathedral is one of the oldest Gothic architectural monuments in Cluj. It is built predominantly of Cenozoic (Eocene) limestones which were deposited on a shallow carbonate platform. They are composed of different facies and microfacies types with varying amounts of particles, matrix and cement. Limestones from the Baci quarry (Cluj Limestone), which is situated about 3 km from the centre of Cluj, were commonly used. The weathering features correspond to the microfacies types, to the position of the stones in the walls and to the exposure (east, south, west, and north), which controls the moisture/dry cycles. This interrelationship …

Microfacies Analysis Of Upper Eocene Shallow-Water Carbonates From The Rodnei Mountains (N Romania), Diana Sahy, Emanoil Sasaran, Tudor Tamas

Studia UBB Geologia

A Priabonian carbonate ramp developed in the NW Rodnei Mountains as a part of a Paleogene sedimentary cover which overlies the metamorphic basement of the Eastern Carpathians. Two sections were sampled at different locations along the carbonate ramp. The deposits accumulated in a shallow environment, in which relative sea level change is seen as the main controlling factor of facies distribution. A shoreface → middle ramp → inner ramp transition was recorded in both sections. Associations of large benthic foraminifers and high siliciclastic input are the dominant features in the northern part of the ramp, while in the south corals …

Lower Cretaceous Calcareous Nannofossils From The Southern Apuseni Mountains, Romania, Ana-Maria Vulc

Studia UBB Geologia

We investigated Lower Cretaceous calcareous nannofossils from Southern Apuseni Mts. The studied section from Bucium Cerbu quarry is characterized by flysch deposits (rhythmical interbedded marls and sandstones), which were assigned to the Căbeşti Formation. The studied nannofossil assemblages yielded a high diversity. The Early Aptian age of the studied deposits was assigned based on both the Tethyan and Boreal calcareous nannofossil zonations. Several reworked Valanginian nannofossils were also observed in the Early Aptian in situ nannofloras. The nannofloras are dominated by tethyan and cosmopolitan species. Besides Boreal species are also present. The presence of boreal taxa (e.g. Kokia borealis, K. …

In Memoriam

Studia UBB Geologia

No abstract provided.

Geochemical Sediments & Landscape; Cave Geology; Karst Hydrogeology And Geomorphology, Bogdan P. Onac

Studia UBB Geologia

No abstract provided.

Events, Sorin Filipescu, Dana Pop

Studia UBB Geologia

No abstract provided.

Ft-Raman And Ft-Infrared Investigations Of Archaeological Artefacts From Foeni Neolithic Site (Banat, Romania), Simona Cîntă Pînzaru, Dana Pop, Loredana Nemeth

Studia UBB Geologia

An impressive collection of chert artefacts from the Foeni Neolithic archaeological site (Timiş County, Banat region, Romania) is hosted by the Banat Museum in Timişoara. A representative set of seven specimens was non-destructively investigated using FT-Raman and ATR-FT-IR spectroscopy. The research was carried out for checking if these readily-available, non-destructive, fast, and cheap methods, which do not require preliminary sample preparation could provide significant information for characterizing the mineral composition of chert artefacts. Based on vibrational data, it was confirmed that the raw material was represented by microcrystalline quartz and moganite, with local concentrations of accessory minerals (calcite, dolomite, and …

New Bryozoa From The Sarmatian (Middle Miocene) Deposits Of The Cerna-Strei Depression, Romania, Kamil Zágoršek, Lóránd Silye, Botond Szabó

Studia UBB Geologia

A new species of the Sarmatian bryozoan, Crisia romanica sp. nov., is described from Sarmatian (Middle Miocene) sediments of the Cerna-Strei Depression, near Răcăştia, Romania. The new species differs from all other known species of Crisia by having a frontal elongated gonozooecium with a prominent oeciopore situated on a short oeciostome. Crisia romanica sp. nov. is accompanied by Annectocyma corrugata (REUSS, 1869) occurring in a section nearby. The bryozoans found indicate normal marine conditions in the Cerna-Strei Depression during the Sarmatian.

Biostratigraphy Of The Cenomanian-Turonian Boundary In The Eastern Carpathians (Dâmboviţa Valley): Preliminary Observations, Claudia Cetean, Ramona Balc, Michael A. Kaminski, Sorin Filipescu

Studia UBB Geologia

Planktonic and benthic foraminiferal assemblages from an Upper Albian to Lower Turonian interval in the East Carpathians were investigated in a well and in an outcrop from the Stoeneşti – Cetăţeni area (Dâmboviţa Valley), Romania. The benthic foraminiferal extinction that occurred at the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary and the first stage of the faunal recovery are documented here for the first time in the Romanian Carpathians. Bioevents and changes in the foraminiferal record from this area show that low oxygen conditions occured already in the Late Cenomanian, as suggested by the presence of radiolarian-rich shales. Impoverished assemblages of small, thin walled agglutinated …

Plant Macrofossils Analysis From Steregoiu Nw Romania: Taphonomy, Representation, And Comparison With Pollen Analysis, Angelica N. Feurdean, Ole Bennike

Studia UBB Geologia

This paper presents the results of macrofossil analysis from the Steregoiu sequence in the Gutaiului Mountains covering the last 8,000 cal BP. The studied peat deposit is characterized by abundant macrofossils. Their diversity is, however, low with most macrofossils coming from plants that grew on the mire and in the forest surrounding the basin (Carex spp., Cyperus sp., Urtica dioica, Potentilla erecta, Filipendula ulmaria, Rubus idaeus, Lycopus europaeus). The concentration of Picea abies macrofossils correlates partially well with its pollen percentages, and only when it has been present on the bog surface. The absence of macrofossils from deciduous trees, which …

Segmentation Of The Blanco Transform Fault Zone From Earthquake Analysis: Complex Tectonics Of An Oceanic Transform Fault, Jochen Braunmiller, John Nábělek

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

The Blanco Transform Fault Zone (BTFZ) forms the ∼350 km long Pacific–Juan de Fuca plate boundary between the Gorda and Juan de Fuca ridges. Nearby broadband seismic networks provide a unique framework for a detailed, long-term seismotectonic study of an entire oceanic transform fault (OTF) system. We use regional waveforms to determine 129 earthquake source parameters; combined with 28 Harvard moment tensors, they represent the largest waveform derived OTF source parameter data set. Joint epicenter determination removes the northeasterly routine location bias. Projecting seismicity onto the BTFZ, we determine along-fault seismic slip rate variations. Earthquake source parameters and morphology indicate …

Alaska's Pavlof Volcano Ends 11-Year Repose, Christopher F. Waythomas, Stephanie G. Prejean, Stephen R. Mcnutt

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

After an 11-year period of repose, Pavlof volcano on the Alaska Peninsula (Figure 1) began an episode of Strombolian eruption lasting 31 days, from 14 August to 13 September 2007.

The eruption began abruptly on 14 August after a minor increase in seismicity the previous day. Nearly continuous lava fountaining, explosions, and lahars caused by minor disruption of the ice and snow cover on the volcano characterized the eruption. The eruption also produced diffuse ash plumes that reached 5–6 kilometers above sea level, but the plumes were too small and did not extend high enough to affect local or regional …

Moho Depth And Poisson's Ratio In The Western–Central Alps From Receiver Functions, D. Lombardi, Jochen Braunmiller, E. Kissling, D. Giardini

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Current knowledge about deep crustal structure of the Alpine orogen has mainly been derived from P-wave velocity models obtained from active and passive seismic experiments. A complementary S-wave model to provide lithological constraints necessary for unique structural interpretation has been missing to date. In this paper, we present important new information on S-wave velocity model in the Alps. We applied the receiver function method using 6 yr of high quality data from 61 permanent and temporary stations sampling the Western–Central Alps. We determined first-order crustal features Moho depth (H) and average Vp/Vs ratio …

A Large New Species Of Lobatus (Gastropoda: Stromnidae) From The Neogene Of The Dominican Republic, With Notes On The Genus, Bernard M. Landau, Gijs C. Kronenberg, Gregory S. Herbert

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Earth Scientists And Public Policy: Have We Failed New Orleans?, Timothy H. Dixon, Roy K. Dokka

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Earth scientists rarely influence public policy or urban planning. In defiance of geologic reality, cities are established on or expanded into floodplains, wetlands, earthquake faults, and active volcanoes. One exception to our lack of influence is that shortly after a major natural disaster, there is a brief window of heightened public awareness that may lead to sensible regulation or relocation of infrastructure. After the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, for example, California building codes were improved to reduce earthquake hazard. After Mississippi River flooding in 1993, several U.S. cities designated parts of their low-lying flood-plain as green space.

Scărişoara. The Realm Of Scărişoara, Robert Brinkmann

Studia UBB Geologia

No abstract provided.

In Memoriam

Studia UBB Geologia

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