岩石物理化学性质对泰宁丹霞洞穴的形成制约

泰宁丹霞红层由铁钙质混合胶结的较松散固结红色砂砾岩构成,岩石胶结物中CaCO3含量较高,抗压强度极低、孔隙度和含水性均较高。当岩石遇水湿润或浸泡时,或者生物风化过程中受到各种动植物分泌的有机酸作用,岩石胶结物中CaCO3易溶解流失,促使丹霞红层进一步软弱松散。冬季水结冰之后体积会膨胀,所以岩层表面产生片状裂隙。通过裂隙的毛细管效应,孔隙-裂隙水由岩石内部向结冰的表面扩散,在表面张力作用下水呈表面积最小的球状。春季化冻时岩石沿球形片状裂隙自由剥落的片状风化,圆球形洞穴开始形成,随着四季交替,年复一年,间歇性结冰和融化过程,使得洞穴逐渐扩大,形成泰宁丹霞各种形态的洞穴奇观。     

Testing a new combined (U,Th)–He and U/Th dating approach on Plio-Pleistocene calcite speleothems

The geochronology of cave deposits in the Cradle of Humankind UNESCO World Heritage Site in South Africa provides a timeframe essential for the interpretation of its fossils. The uranium-lead (U–Pb) and uranium-thorium disequilibrium (U/Th) dating of speleothems, mostly flowstones that underlie and blanket the fossil-bearing sediments, have been effective in this sense, but U–Pb is limited by the requirement of ∼1 ppm U concentrations and low common Pb contents, and U/Th has a c. 500 ka limit of applicability. Here we report age results for calcite-aragonite speleothems obtained using a new combined uranium-thorium-helium ((U,Th)–He) and U/Th dating routine. We reproduced within analytical uncertainty, the published U–Pb or U/Th ages for (a) flowstone in three drill core samples in the range 2000–3000 ka, (b) a flowstone hand sample taken at surface with an age of 1800 ka, and (c) five underground flowstone samples in the range 100–800 ka. Calcite retentivity for He under cave conditions is thus demonstrated. In the few cases where helium loss was observed in speleothems, only some of the subsamples were affected, and to varying degrees, suggesting loss by lattice damage not related to diagenetic processes, rather than volume diffusion. In the 100 to 800 ka range, the combined U/Th disequilibrium and (U,Th)–He method also yielded reliable values for initial (²³⁰Th/²³⁸U) and (²³⁴U/²³⁸U) activity ratios. Importantly, most subsamples had high initial (²³⁰Th/²³⁸U) values, ranging from 1.0 to 19.7, although having low Th/U ratios. This is probably due to incorporation of Fe–Mn oxides-hydroxides dust, on which ²³⁰Th was previously adsorbed. Such samples are mostly not dateable by U/Th without the additional input from the He analysis. If not detected and corrected for, such high initial (²³⁰Th/²³⁸U) values can lead to inaccurate U/Th and U–Pb ages. Our study shows that the incorporation of He analysis in U/Th dating has broad potential application, with four methods for calculating the ages, in carbonates from different environments where U-Pb or U/Th dating would not work.     

Luminescence and ESR dating of the sedimentary infill from the multi-level cave system of Alkerdi-Zelaieta (Navarre,N Spain)

The finding of Upper Paleolithic engravings in 2016 triggered a multidisciplinary investigation of the Alkerdi cave system (Urdazubi, N Spain). The study of the speleogenetic processes led to the identification of at least 6 paragenetic cave levels with associated sedimentary infill. In order to unravel the timing of changes in the karst dynamics and to get some insights about sediment origin, two sediment samples were collected from cave levels 4 and 1 for numerical dating purpose, using both Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) and Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) methods. One additional modern-age sample was also taken from the entrance of the karst to evaluate the magnitude of the optical bleaching achieved by the quartz grains before entering the cave system. Last, one sample was collected from a flowstone for U-series dating, providing independent age control.OSL measurements were carried out using small quartz multi-grain (MG) and single-grain (SG) Single Aliquot Regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol. Initial Equivalent Dose (D_e) results show evidence of saturated OSL signal for the sample of the higher level (with ∼60% of saturated aliquots). Unlike SA data, SG analyses do not meet the usual quality criteria (e.g., relatively high recuperation ratios, only a few grains with useable signal), suggesting that corresponding dating results should be treated with caution.Hence, both MG and SG TT-OSL and MG ESR methods were subsequently employed, as the corresponding signals are known to have higher saturation levels than OSL ones. ESR analyses were based on the Multiple Centre (MC) approach using the standard multi-grain multi-aliquot additive (MAA) dose method, while TT-OSL measurements were performed following Demuro et al. (2020). The latter, however, did not return any useful results for both samples. MC ESR data show the usual D_e pattern (D_e(Al)>D_e(Ti op. D)>D_e(Ti–H)) indicating that among the three ESR signals analyzed, the Ti–H most likely provides the closest estimate to the true burial age. However, low measurement repeatability and goodness-of-of fit indicate that the reliability of the ESR results may be reasonably questioned.Results derived from this multi-technique dating approach provide the first chronological constraints for the sedimentary infill of the Alkerdi cave system. In particular, they suggest that sediment deposition in Cave Level 4 (ALK-OSL01) occurred around 130 ka, which is in good agreement with the minimum age constraint given by the speleothem (80.5 ± 9.0 ka). In comparison, the young age obtained for sample ALK-OSL02 (5.0 ± 0.9 ka) suggests recent Holocene formation of the lowest cave level 1.Finally, the MG De value obtained for the modern sample is close to zero (<1 Gy), indicating that the OSL signal is almost fully reset at a multi-grain level before entering the cave. Additionally, despite the large De overdispersion measured in this modern sample, the De values are one to two order of magnitude lower than those obtained with the same model in the other two samples. Therefore, the large OSL D_e overdispersion (OD) values of up to 64% obtained for the two samples from Cave Level 4 and 1 are most likely related to re-sedimentation processes inside the cave system.     

桂林洞穴滴水与现代碳酸钙δ18O记录的环境意义--以桂林七星岩NO.15支洞为例

现代洞穴动态监测的一个先决条件就是为洞穴碳酸盐(CaCO₃)沉积物-石笋的各种替代指标的解译提供可靠的依据,充分利用现代碳酸盐(CaCO₃)沉积物的各种替代指标,并与现代器测气象资料进行相互对比、并用以校正,是精确或定量解释石笋气候替代指标的关键.
经对桂林七星岩15号支洞的5个滴水点进行了长达四个水文年(2008~2011年)的大气降水、洞穴滴水、现代碳酸盐沉积物的动态监测和研究,并探讨了洞穴滴水和现代碳酸盐(CaCO₃)的δ18O与降水δ18O的相关关系.研究表明,洞穴滴水和现代碳酸盐(CaCO₃)的年平均δ18O值非常接近降水的δ18O平均值,并具有与地表降水δ18O相同的变化趋势,反映了洞穴滴水和现代碳酸盐(CaCO₃)的δ18O主要来自大气降水的δ18O,即明显受控于降水的δ18O.在4个水文年中,现代洞穴次生化学碳酸盐(CaCO₃)沉积物的δ18O值与滴水的δ18O值记录的年内(或年际)变化或多年的变化趋势基本相同,表现出明显的四高峰(δ18O低值区)四低谷(δ18O高值区)的波动变化特征,具有明显的年际、季节性变化规律,显示具有雨热同季的特点.研究结果表明洞穴滴水和洞穴现代碳酸盐(CaCO₃)沉积物的δ18O可以记录当地或洞穴上方的气候变化信号,即现代碳酸盐(CaCO₃)沉积物的δ18O主要作为夏季风强度或降雨量的替代指标.     

榆林地区黄土窑洞崩塌灾害的多发性原因及其防治对策研究

本文通过对榆林地区米脂、绥德、子洲、清涧、吴堡和榆林市黄土窑洞建窑环境进行考察,总结分析了在黄土介质中修建的土窑洞崩塌灾害多发性原因,并提出了可操作性的防治对策。该对策可广泛适用于我国黄土窑洞分布区。     

人工抽水引起土洞塌陷的可能性

在人工抽水过程中,抽水量越大、距抽水井越近,越可能产生土洞塌陷.在砂土层中,抽水持续时间越长,地下水潜蚀作用越强,越有可能产生土洞塌陷;在粘性土层中,避免反复频繁抽水及适当减少抽水初期的抽水量,有利于减少土洞塌陷的可能性.     

不同充填介质下的溶洞跨孔电阻率CT探查数值模拟

城市地铁修建过程中常常会遇到溶洞等不良地质条件,为更加准确探查地下溶洞的位置和大小,采用有限元法和最小二乘法正反演数值模拟手段,利用孔距、电极距和与钻孔距离三个变量构建了地下溶洞的地电模型,分析并总结了跨孔电阻率CT法对充气、充水和部分充水溶洞的电阻率响应特征及规律。结果表明:部分充水溶洞的水、气分界面明显,低阻区域和高阻区域与溶洞充水、充气部分位置大小一致,且随着溶洞充水量的增加,溶洞低电阻率响应增强,其异常范围向溶洞顶部扩大;跨孔电阻率CT法能够有效识别溶洞充填性状。      

开放洞穴环境变化特征及其影响因素:以桂林凉风洞为例

通过对桂林凉风洞洞穴内、外温湿度、pCO2进行连续高频监测,发现洞穴温度受大气度温影响呈现出季节性变化规律。由于受到洞穴结构的阻隔作用影响,洞穴由外向里的温度变化幅度逐渐变小,并且响应的时间存在季节性差异。监测数据表明:洞穴内部温度的季节性变化幅度明显低于洞外气温变化幅度。比较洞内、外温度的时间序列发现,在季节尺度上洞穴温度升温阶段滞后时间长（与外部通风的气温流动交换慢）,降温阶段滞后时间短（与外部通风的气温流动交换快,呈现突变特征）,这可能与不同季节洞穴内部结构的“缓冲作用”的强弱变化有关。该洞穴空气中pCO2存在明显的夏季高、冬季低的季节性变化特征。并且外界大气环境季节性变化和洞穴上覆动植物的季节性活动,使得洞穴pCO2主控因素也存在季节性差异。      

岩溶洞穴交互带概念的提出及其在水资源管理中的意义

岩溶地区以管道流为主的地下水补给、径流与排泄常常引起地下水与地表水间快速且频繁的交互与转化,并因此引发水环境退化问题。文章引用并拓展地表水文学和水文生态学中交互带的概念,提出南方岩溶地区管道流与其他类型水体交互的场所为岩溶洞穴交互带,并依据交互带的水流类型和交互方式,划分为泉口交互带、天窗交互带、落水洞交互带和管道交互带4种类型;且以泉口交互带和天窗交互带为重点,采用水文和水化学在线监测、现场测试、流量测量,结合水化学、浮游生物和微生物等的分析鉴定,剖析了交互带的水文、水化学特征和水生生物群落结构及其与水环境的关系。研究发现:岩溶洞穴交互带的水文功能有弱化趋势;泉口交互带的污染物降解能力明显,水化学功能尚能发挥作用;水生生物功能在退化,主要是由水文功能弱化导致的。水文功能弱化是岩溶洞穴交互带环境功能退化的重要原因。建议在岩溶地区的水文地质和环境地质工作中重视交互带,探索交互带的探测和监测技术,通过有效管理改善交互带的环境功能。