Earth Sciences Commons^™

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 …

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 …

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. …

Cover: Volume 41, Issue 2

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

Editorial, Jo De Waele

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

Crystal Structure Of Graphite Under Room-Temperature Compression And Decompression, Yuejian Wang, Joseph E. Panzik, Boris Kiefer, Kanani K. M. Lee

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Recently, sophisticated theoretical computational studies have proposed several new crystal structures of carbon (e.g., bct-C4, H-, M-, R-, S-, W-, and Z-carbon). However, until now, there lacked experimental evidence to verify the predicted high-pressure structures for cold-compressed elemental carbon at least up to 50 GPa. Here we present direct experimental evidence that this enigmatic high-pressure structure is currently only consistent with M-carbon, one of the proposed carbon structures. Furthermore, we show that this phase transition is extremely sluggish, which led to the observed broad x-ray diffraction peaks in previous studies and hindered the proper identification of the post-graphite phase in …

Bacterial Community Survey Of Sediments At Naracoorte Caves, Australia, Eric M. Adetutu, Krystal Thorpe, Esmaeil Shahsavari, Steven Bourne, Xiangsheng Cao, Ramin Mazaheri Nezhad Fard, Greg Kirby, Andrew S. Ball

International Journal of Speleology

Bacterial diversity in sediments at UNESCO World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves was surveyed as part of an investigation carried out in a larger study on assessing microbial diversity in caves. Cave selection was based on tourist accessibility; Stick Tomato and Alexandra Cave (> 15000 annual visits) and Strawhaven Cave was used as control (no tourist access). Microbial analysis showed that Bacillus was the most commonly detected microbial genus by culture dependent and independent survey of tourist accessible and inaccessible areas of show (tourist accessible) and control caves. Sediment bacterial groups were assigned to the Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. The survey …

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

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

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

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Table Of Contents

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

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 …

In Memorium: Joaquin Montoriol Pous

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.

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Provenance And Geological Significance Of Red Mud And Other Clastic Sediments Of The Mugnano Cave (Montagnola Senese, Italy), Francesco Iacoviello, Ivan Martini

International Journal of Speleology

The Mugnano cave is characterized by a thick clastic sedimentary fill showing a great variability of sedimentary facies, ranging from clay to coarse-grained sand deposits. This paper deals with combined sedimentological and mineralogical (XRD and SEM) studies of these sediments and bedrock insoluble residues in order to understand the origin and geological significance of cave deposits, with particular attention to red mud sediments, often considered as the residue of host rock dissolution. Three different sedimentary facies were recognized: i) YS, yellow sand with occasionally shell fragments, testifying the arrival of sediments from the surrounding landscape; ii) RS, red laminated mud; …

World Karst Science Reviews

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

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, …

World Karst Science Reviews

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

Natural And Anthropogenic Influences On The Morphodynamics Of Sandy And Mixed Sand And Gravel Beaches, Tiffany Roberts

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Beaches and coastal environments are dynamic, constantly shaped and reshaped by natural processes and anthropogenic modifications. The morphodynamics and influence of natural and anthropogenic factors of two different coasts at various temporal and spatial scales are discussed.

To quantify the performance of several beach nourishment projects at annual temporal and kilometer spatial scales on three adjacent microtidal low-wave energy barrier islands in west-central Florida, a total of 5,200 beach and nearshore-profiles spaced at 300 m were surveyed monthly to bi-monthly from 2006-2010. Beach nourishment performance is most significantly influenced by the interruption of longshore sediment transport by complex tidal-inlet processes. …

On The Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Upwelling In The Southern Caribbean Sea And Its Influence On The Ecology Of Phytoplankton And Of The Spanish Sardine (Sardinella Aurita), Digna Tibisay Rueda-Roa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Southern Caribbean Sea experiences a strong upwelling process along the coast from about 61°W to 75.5°W and 10-13°N. In this dissertation three aspects of this upwelling system are examined: (A) A mid-year secondary upwelling that was previously observed in the southeastern Caribbean Sea between June-July, when land based stations show a decrease in wind speed. The presence and effects of this upwelling along the whole southern Caribbean upwelling system were evaluated, as well as the relative forcing contribution of alongshore winds (Ekman Transport, ET) and wind-curl (Ekman Pumping, EP). (B) Stronger upwelling occurs in two particular regions, namely the …

Mapping And Assessing Urban Impervious Areas Using Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis: A Case Study In The City Of Tampa, Florida, Fenqing Weng

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The advance in remote sensing technology helps people more easily assess urban growth. In this study, the utility of multiple endmember spectral mixture analysis (MESMA) is examined in a sub-pixel analysis of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery to map urban physical components in Tampa, FL. The three physical components of urban land cover (LC): impervious surface, vegetation and soil, were compared using the proposed MESMA with a traditional spectral mixture analysis (SMA). MESMA decomposes each pixel to address the heterogeneity of urban LC characteristic by allowing the number and types of endmembers to vary on a per pixel basis. This …

Variability In Hydrology And Ecosystem Properties And Their Role In Regulating Soil Organic Matter Stability In Wetlands Of West-Central Florida, Sharon Jean Feit

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soil organic matter (SOM) provides many ecosystem services that are necessary for continued ecosystem function. The accumulation of SOM in an ecosystem is a function of its persistence time which can range from days to thousands of years. Ecosystem properties including dominant vegetation type, soil texture, and soil moisture in various habitats can regulate the persistence time of SOM.

Wetlands, because of their associated ecosystem properties, promote SOM accumulation, but little has been done to determine the ecosystem properties that regulate its persistence over time. In west-central Florida, urbanization and increased water demands have suppressed water tables in isolated wetland …