KarstBase a bibliography database in karst and cave science.
Featured articles from Cave & Karst Science Journals
Characterization of minothems at Libiola (NW Italy): morphological, mineralogical, and geochemical study, Carbone Cristina; Dinelli Enrico; De Waele Jo
Chemistry and Karst, White, William B.
The karst paradigm: changes, trends and perspectives, Klimchouk, Alexander
Long-term erosion rate measurements in gypsum caves of Sorbas (SE Spain) by the Micro-Erosion Meter method, Sanna, Laura; De Waele, Jo; Calaforra, José Maria; Forti, Paolo
The use of damaged speleothems and in situ fault displacement monitoring to characterise active tectonic structures: an example from Zapadni Cave, Czech Republic , Briestensky, Milos; Stemberk, Josef; Rowberry, Matt D.;
Featured articles from other Geoscience Journals
Karst environment, Culver D.C.
Mushroom Speleothems: Stromatolites That Formed in the Absence of Phototrophs, Bontognali, Tomaso R.R.; D’Angeli Ilenia M.; Tisato, Nicola; Vasconcelos, Crisogono; Bernasconi, Stefano M.; Gonzales, Esteban R. G.; De Waele, Jo
Calculating flux to predict future cave radon concentrations, Rowberry, Matt; Marti, Xavi; Frontera, Carlos; Van De Wiel, Marco; Briestensky, Milos
Microbial mediation of complex subterranean mineral structures, Tirato, Nicola; Torriano, Stefano F.F;, Monteux, Sylvain; Sauro, Francesco; De Waele, Jo; Lavagna, Maria Luisa; D’Angeli, Ilenia Maria; Chailloux, Daniel; Renda, Michel; Eglinton, Timothy I.; Bontognali, Tomaso Renzo Rezio
Evidence of a plate-wide tectonic pressure pulse provided by extensometric monitoring in the Balkan Mountains (Bulgaria), Briestensky, Milos; Rowberry, Matt; Stemberk, Josef; Stefanov, Petar; Vozar, Jozef; Sebela, Stanka; Petro, Lubomir; Bella, Pavel; Gaal, Ludovit; Ormukov, Cholponbek;
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2011, Vol 75, Issue 14, p. 3956-3972
Oxygen isotopes in calcite grown under cave-analogue conditions
Day C. C. , Henderson G. M.
Abstract:
Speleothem oxygen isotopes and growth rates are valuable proxies for reconstructing climate history. There is debate, however, about the conditions that allow speleothems to grow in oxygen isotope equilibrium, and about the correct equilibrium fractionation factors. We report results from a series of carbonate growth experiments in karst-analogue conditions in the laboratory. The setup closely mimics natural processes (e.g. precipitation driven by CO2-degassing, low ionic strength solution, thin solution film) but with a tight control on growth conditions (temperature, pCO2, drip rate, calcite saturation index and the composition of the initial solution). Calcite is dissolved in water in a 20,000 ppmV pCO2 environment. This solution is dripped onto glass plates (coated with seed-carbonate) in a lower pCO2 environment (and rapid depletion of the dissolved inorganic carbon reservoir (rapid DIC-depletion). The impact of evaporation can be large so caves with high relative humidity are also preferable for palaeoclimate reconstruction. Even allowing for the maximum offsets that may have been induced by evaporation and rapid DIC-depletion, d18O measured in some of our experiments remain higher than those predicted by Kim and O’Neil (1997). Our new results are well explained by equilibrium at a significantly higher acalcite–water, with a kinetic-isotope effect that favours 16O incorporation as growth rate increases. This scenario agrees with recent studies by Coplen (2007) and Dietzel et al. (2009). Overall, our results suggest that three separate processes cause d18O to deviate from true isotope equilibrium in the cave environment. Two of these drive d18O to higher values (evaporation and rapid DIC-depletion) while one drives d18O to lower values (preferential incorporation of 16O in the solid carbonate at faster growth rates). While evaporation and DIC-depletion can be avoided in some settings, the third may be inescapable in the cave environment and means that any temperature to d18O relationship is an approximation. The controlled conditions of the present experiments also display limitations in the use of the Hendy test to identifying equilibrium growth.
Speleothem oxygen isotopes and growth rates are valuable proxies for reconstructing climate history. There is debate, however, about the conditions that allow speleothems to grow in oxygen isotope equilibrium, and about the correct equilibrium fractionation factors. We report results from a series of carbonate growth experiments in karst-analogue conditions in the laboratory. The setup closely mimics natural processes (e.g. precipitation driven by CO2-degassing, low ionic strength solution, thin solution film) but with a tight control on growth conditions (temperature, pCO2, drip rate, calcite saturation index and the composition of the initial solution). Calcite is dissolved in water in a 20,000 ppmV pCO2 environment. This solution is dripped onto glass plates (coated with seed-carbonate) in a lower pCO2 environment (and rapid depletion of the dissolved inorganic carbon reservoir (rapid DIC-depletion). The impact of evaporation can be large so caves with high relative humidity are also preferable for palaeoclimate reconstruction. Even allowing for the maximum offsets that may have been induced by evaporation and rapid DIC-depletion, d18O measured in some of our experiments remain higher than those predicted by Kim and O’Neil (1997). Our new results are well explained by equilibrium at a significantly higher acalcite–water, with a kinetic-isotope effect that favours 16O incorporation as growth rate increases. This scenario agrees with recent studies by Coplen (2007) and Dietzel et al. (2009). Overall, our results suggest that three separate processes cause d18O to deviate from true isotope equilibrium in the cave environment. Two of these drive d18O to higher values (evaporation and rapid DIC-depletion) while one drives d18O to lower values (preferential incorporation of 16O in the solid carbonate at faster growth rates). While evaporation and DIC-depletion can be avoided in some settings, the third may be inescapable in the cave environment and means that any temperature to d18O relationship is an approximation. The controlled conditions of the present experiments also display limitations in the use of the Hendy test to identifying equilibrium growth.
Keywords: oxygen isotopes, calcite