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Volume 47, Issue 1 (2018)

Cover and Front Matter

Articles

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Geothermal flux and phreatic speleogenesis in gypsum, halite, and quartzite rocks
Giovanni Badino

  • Geothermal heating of subterranean water
  • Temperature dependence of rocks solubilitiy
  • Geothermal dissolution of rocks
  • Safety of artificial subterranean waste storages

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Cave monitoring in the Béke and Baradla caves (Northeastern Hungary): implications for the conditions for the formation cave carbonates
György Czuppon, Attila Demény, Szabolcs Leél-Őssy, Mihály Óvari, Mihály Molnár, József Stieber, Klaudia Kiss, Krisztina Kármán, Gergely Surányi, and László Haszpra

  • Three years monitoring in Béke and Baradla Caves
  • Stable isotope and trace element measurements of drip waters and fresh calcite precipitates
  • Link between the chemistry of the drip water and the hydrological conditions
  • Sign of prior calcite precipitation
  • Link between the stable isotope composition of fresh calcite precipitates and the hydrological conditions

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Underground dinosaur tracksite inside a karst of southern France: Early Jurassic tridactyl traces from the Dolomitic Formation of the Malaval Cave (Lozère)
Jean-David Moreau, Vincent Trincal, Daniel André, Louis Baret, Alain Jacquet, and Michel Wienin

  • Hettangian tridactyl dinosaur tracks were discovered in the Malaval Cave (southern France)
  • The tracksite was studied using photogrammetric imaging technique
  • More than 26 footprints of theropods were identified
  • The depositional environment varied from subtidal to intertidal/supratidal flat marsh
  • This work highlights the great interest to heighten palaeoichnological prospections in karsts

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Assessing preservation priorities of caves and karst areas using the frequency of endemic cave-dwelling species
Eugen Nitzu, Marius Vlaicu, Andrei Giurginca, Ioana N. Meleg, Ionut Popa, Augustin Nae, and Ştefan Baba

  • Endemic cave-dwelling species rarity is used to compute an original endemicity index of caves
  • Both stygobitic and troglobitic endemites were taken into consideration in a holistic concept
  • A formula is provided for an objective weighting of the frequency steps
  • A map of hotspots of 'biospeological conservation concern' was generated using the EI
  • The developed EI is useful in assessing karst areas vulnerability

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Phosphate speleothems in caves developed in iron ores and laterites of the Carajás Mineral Province (Brazil) and a new occurrence of spheniscidite
Alan R.L. Albuquerque, Rômulo S. Angélica, Daniele F. Gonçalves, and Simone P.A. Paz

  • Bat guano is a potencial source of phosphorus to phosphate speleothems formation
  • The guano's geochemical signature is detected by increase of Zn, Ni, and Rb
  • Metals elements are bioaccumulate in the bat guano
  • The first occurrence of spheniscidite in cave developed in iron ores and laterites
  • The unit cell parameters for spheniscidite, obtained using Rietveld refinement, are slightly lower than those of the ICSD-39654 file

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The blurred line between photic and aphotic environments: a large Mexican cave with almost no dark zone
Luis M. Mejía-Ortíz, Tanja Pipan, David C. Culver, and Peter Sprouse

  • Muevelo Rico has almost no dark zone, throwing into relief what constitutes a cave
  • Light is present in most of the cave, as are reduced daily temperature and humidity cycles
  • Troglomorphic species and their potential predators occur throughout the cave
  • The presence of troglomorphic species is best explained by the presence of organic matter in photic zones

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Flowstone growth in Gournier River (Vercors, France): a diachronic landscape analysis by 3D modelling and photo draping
Kim Genuite, Yves Perrette, and Stéphane Jaillet

  • An increase of flowstone deposit was seen in Vercors cave, we intended to quantify it
  • That increase is associated to global changes, including climate and vegetation
  • A quantification method has been adapted to the subterranean environment

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First assessment on the air CO2 dynamic in the show caves of tropical karst, Vietnam
Duc A. Trinh, Quan H. Trinh, Angel Fernández-Cortés, David Mattey, and Javier G. Guinea

  • Ventilation of Vietnamese tropical caves is stronger in winter-dry season
  • High soil CO2 input and weak ventilation lead to cave air CO2 enrichment in summer
  • Soil moisture fluctuation shows a correlation with variations on cave air CO2
  • Streams and large pools of hydrologically-active caves buffer the air CO2 variations
  • Visitation may be a cause of high CO2 during daytime and in show section

Rapid Communication

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Caves as observatories for atmospheric thermal tides: an example from Ascunsă Cave, Romania
Virgil Drăgușin, Laura Tîrlă, Nicoleta Cadicheanu, Vasile Ersek, and Ionuț Mirea

  • First records of S2 thermal tides in caves
  • High-precision temperature data logging
  • 12-hour periodicity revealed by spectral analysis of temperature data
  • No influence on cave atmosphere from rock temperature on semidiurnal scale
  • Atmospheric thermal tides are transferred to caves via pressure changes