Paleoflood events recorded by speleothems in caves

Speleothems are usually composed of thin layers of calcite (or aragonite). However, cemented detrital materials interlayered between laminae of speleothemic carbonate have been also observed in many caves. Flowstones comprising discontinuous carbonate layers form due to flowing water films, while flood events introduce fluviokarstic sediments in caves that, on occasion, are recorded as clayey layers inside flowstones and stalagmites. This record provides a potential means of understanding the frequency of palaeofloods using cave records. In this work, we investigate the origin of this type of detrital deposit in El Soplao Cave (Northern Spain). The age of the lowest aragonite layer of a flowstone reveals that the earliest flood period occurred before 500 ka, though most of the flowstone formed between 422 +69/‐43 ka and 400 +66/‐42 ka. This suggests that the cave was periodically affected by palaeoflood events that introduced detrital sediments from the surface as a result of occasional extreme rainfall events, especially at around 400 ka. The mineralogical data enable an evolutionary model for this flowstone to be generated based on the alternation of flood events with laminar flows and carbonate layers precipitation that can be extrapolated to other caves in which detrital sediments inside speleothems have been found. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

川东北楼房洞洞穴环境时空变化与影响因素

基于2011年8月―2012年6月的实地监测数据,文章报道了川东北楼房洞溶洞系统气温、相对湿度（RH）、CO2体积分数、水体电导率（EC）和pH值等为期近1年的监测结果,并对其影响因素进行了分析。结果显示楼房洞洞穴系统环境存在明显的空间变化和季节变化：1）洞穴内的气温变化幅度比洞穴外小,洞穴内夏季气温比冬季高出3~5℃;2）在洞穴内,相对湿度在地下河附近小于在水池附近,显示了地下河对洞穴环境的显著影响;3）洞内监测点SLPB和QCMY处的相对湿度与空气温度出现明显相反的变化趋势,反映主要受气温控制的特点;4）雨季期间SLPB、QCMY和LZLY处的CO2体积分数出现峰值,是较强的生物呼吸作用、“泵”效应和较弱的通风效应等因素综合影响的结果;5）pH值的变化趋势在洞穴内外各监测点一致,原因可能是夏秋季节基岩溶蚀较强所致。6）洞内各监测点的EC值也是夏秋季节高于冬春季节,反映了气候变化导致的化学溶蚀作用可能是影响离子含量的主要因素。     

本溪水洞洞穴空气CO2浓度与温、湿度的空间分布和昼夜变化特征

洞穴空气CO2浓度是影响洞穴次生化学沉积物沉积和溶蚀的重要因素之一。基于对本溪水洞洞穴空气CO2浓度、温度和湿度连续两个昼夜的系统观测结果,结合洞外大气CO2浓度、温度和湿度数据,初步分析了本溪水洞洞穴空气CO2浓度空间分布特征和昼夜变化规律：（1）洞穴空气CO2浓度自洞口开始快速增高至一定深度后趋于稳定,这个快速升高的距离与不同季节洞穴交换能力有关,秋季大约是370 m。洞穴CO2浓度稳定区的空间差异可能主要与洞穴结构和裂隙发育情况有关,在洞体变小的倚天长剑景点附近出现峰值,而在洞体变大的石瀑布景点和游客无法进入的源头区出现低谷。（2）观测期间,洞穴空气CO2浓度总体上呈递降趋势,基本上与游客数量有关。（3）在洞穴空气CO2浓度急剧上升的近洞口段,洞穴空气CO2浓度每个昼夜出现两个峰值,分别对应正午12时和午夜前后。本溪水洞洞穴空气CO2浓度的这种变化特点,受游客与工作人员的呼吸排放和洞穴与大气间的气体交换作用的双重影响。     

辽宁本溪晶花洞碳酸钙沉积物颜色多样性分析

辽宁本溪晶花洞发育于中奥陶统马家沟组(O2m)中厚层白云质灰岩中,洞内碳酸钙沉积物具有白色、黄色、肉红色、浅蓝色和黑褐色等多种原生色彩。在洞穴考察的基础上,通过对围岩和洞穴碳酸钙沉积物X荧光分析以及显微镜薄片鉴定,认为洞穴中白色的次生化学沉积物主要由质纯的CaCO3形成;浅蓝色、黑褐色的形成则多由沉积物含有铜、锶和锰、锌所致;而黄色、红色则为不同环境下铁、锰等变价元素所产生。      

广东英德宝晶宫CO2浓度的时空变化特征

于2011年12月至2013年4月每月一次对广东英德宝晶宫溶洞洞穴空气CO2浓度进行监测,结果显示洞穴空气CO2浓度存在明显的空间变化和季节变化。洞内空气CO2浓度在201×10-6?3 450×10-6之间变化,年平均值为1 018×10-6。在空间上,越靠近洞口或者通风效应越强的地方洞穴空气CO2浓度越低。在季节变化上,表现为洞穴空气CO2浓度在夏半年（5-10月）高而在冬半年（11-4月）低的特点。洞穴空气CO2浓度变化主要受洞穴通风效应和气候变化导致的植被呼吸作用和土壤微生物活动变化的影响。此外,宝晶宫特殊的洞穴结构及游客等因素也对该溶洞CO2浓度变化形成了一定的影响。     

Coupled ESR and U-series dating of early Pleistocene Gigantopithecus faunas at Mohui and Sanhe Caves,Guangxi, southern China

Several caves of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China, have delivered Gigantopithecus blacki remains, an extinct Pleistocene giant ape, in association with abundant mammalian faunas. To determine their geological ages, fossil teeth from Mohui and Sanhe Caves were dated using the coupled ESR/U-series method. The teeth from Mohui Cave gave age estimates of 1.69 ± 0.22 Ma and 1.29 ± 0.11 Ma. The Sanhe Cave samples had age estimates ranging from 910 ± 200 ka to 600 ± 150 ka with error weighted mean ages of 890 ± 130 ka and 720 ± 90 ka for the layers 5 and 4, respectively. Our results and previous paleomagnestism data place the Gigantopithecus fauna at Mohui Cave between Olduvai and Jaramillo subchrons and suggest that it was coeval with Chuifeng, Longgupo and Liucheng assemblages. The Sanhe fauna is younger, of late early Pleistocene age, and can be dated to the period between Jaramillo subchron and B/M boundary.     

北京石花洞结构特征及发育演化过程研究

北京石花洞是中国北方已探明洞穴中次生碳酸盐沉积规模最大、种类最丰富的洞穴;石花洞的景观美学价值和科学价值,在我国北方岩溶洞穴中占有重要地位。2013年7月,为了获取石花洞发育规模、空间结构等基本数据,采用国际通用洞穴测量方法,运用激光测距仪、罗盘和倾角仪,辅以Onstation洞穴绘图软件和ArcMap10软件对石花洞洞穴开展了全面的调查和测绘。结果显示:(1) 石花洞洞穴系统整体呈北西西-南东东向展布,长度为5 639 m,洞底投影面积为37 096 m2,洞底高差为172 m,洞内最高点海拔约为265 m,最低点海拔约为93 m。洞穴系统的发育演化主要受地层产状与北东向和北西向两组断层控制;(2) 石花洞洞穴系统分为五层,自上而下,各层洞道平均海拔依次为249 m, 211 m, 154 m, 111 m和95 m;(3) 最底第五层季节性地下河洞道长1 638 m,自西北向东南方向贯穿整个洞穴系统,依干湿季水文条件的差别,地下水以季节性涨落为主要特征,有多段有水通道;地下河道下游末端为叉状河道,崩塌明显,洞壁上无明显流纹发育;(4) 综合石花洞地下河走向和流向、洞穴发育控制因素和区域地层产状特征、石花洞与周边洞穴的空间位置关系,推测孔水洞是石花洞洪水期的排泄口。      

中晚全新世湘西莲花洞石笋旋回沉积速率变化及其古气候意义

石笋旋回沉积速率是按照石笋沉积旋回测年得到的沉积速率,是石笋沉积过程的重要参数和反演古气候变化的有效代用指标。旋回沉积速率的波动可能反应了地表温度和降雨量的变化,与夏季风强度存在关联。文章以湖南湘西莲花洞LH2石笋为材料,利用42个230Th年龄获得的石笋旋回沉积速率序列重建了8.6 ka BP以来湖南湘西地区温度和降雨雨量的变化历史: 8.6-4.2 ka BP期间,气候以高温多雨为特征,夏季风强,石笋生长率高,但气候并不稳定,存在一系列千年-百年尺度的波动;4.2-0.05 ka BP期间,气候整体偏冷干,旋回沉积速率偏低。总体上,在轨道尺度上,LH2石笋的旋回沉积速率与该石笋的δ18O值之间存在负相关关系。旋回沉积速率的重复性检验证明了旋回沉积速率古气候记录的有效性。石笋旋回沉积速率变化主要受北半球夏季太阳辐射量的控制和ITCZ的直接影响,在百年尺度上,旋回沉积速率的波动可能与中晚全新世的弱季风事件存在关联。      

落马洞暗河发育特征及其洪涝成因分析

根据区域岩溶发育史分析认为,湖北宣恩县落马洞暗河的形成总体上可分为两个阶段:第一阶段发生在白垩纪末至晚第三纪。在该阶段中,降水主要通过发育于卧西坪岩溶坡立谷地两侧的小型洼地、落水洞汇入地下管道,往卧西坪谷地排泄,在卧西坪一带形成一小型岩溶湖泊的同时,还在谷地西侧形成了下黑槽、铜锣坪、扁洞三个近东西向地下暗河系统。第二个阶段发生在晚第三纪至今。在这一期间,随着区域构造运动的振荡性抬升,岩溶侵蚀基准面不断下降,在谷地内形成了上、下黑槽、铜锣坪落水洞与卧西坪消水洞等垂向岩溶管道,贯通早期形成的东西向管道并袭夺卧西坪和铜锣坪一带的地表岩溶湖水,使得原分散的岩溶水系统通过南北向的主管道集中排泄,形成了多进口的树枝状复杂管道暗河系统。卧西坪岩溶坡立谷内常年遭受洪涝的原因主要是由于落马洞地下暗河形成年代较晚,管道规模较小,且洞内坍塌淤积严重,排水能力小。在此基础上,提出了加强流域水土流失管理、疏通河道和新建排水隧洞等治理措施与防治对策。      

Identifying low-temperature hydrothermal karst and palaeowaters using stable isotopes: a case study from an alpine cave,Entrische Kirche,Austria

The area south of the prominent east–west trending Salzach Valley at the northern rim of the Central Alps of Austria has long been known to host anomalously warm springs emerging from a highly deformed calcite marble (Klammkalk). This unit also hosts cavities whose shapes suggest a hydrothermal karst origin and which are lined by calcite spar. We report here petrographic and isotopic evidence suggesting that dissolution by ascending low-temperature thermal waters also played an important role in the origin of a large cave in this region, Entrische Kirche. A paleo cave wall, preserved behind a thick flowstone in the interior of this cave, revealed a brownish bleaching zone which contrasts to the medium grey colour of the unaltered marble beneath. Across this zone the C and O isotope values gradually decrease by 3 and 11‰, respectively. These compositions are very different from those of the speleothem above but are similar to phreatic calcite spar from hydrothermal karst cavities in other outcrops in the area, where the absence of two-phase fluid inclusions suggests a low-temperature (less than ca. 50°C) hydrothermal origin. U/Th dating of the flowstone capping the alteration zone yielded a minimum age of the thermal water invasion in Entrische Kirche of ca. 240 kyr. There is no evidence in Entrische Kirche that these palaeowaters reached the point of calcite precipitation, but it is physically conceivable that higher and as yet unexplored parts of this deep (ca. 900 m) cave contain cavities lined by phreatic cave spar.