Search KARSTBASE:
Search in KarstBase
This paper will focus upon the role of Reddan and Leitch, who between them were responsible for some 59 years of the first 62 years of cave management at Naracoorte. Those who seek a more comprehensive narrative of events, both prior to the first reservation and since, should consult the Draft Management Plan document (S.A. : National Parks and Wildlife Service, 1986).
Temperatures in four different caves at Naracoorte were logged for periods of up to two years, during 1998-2001. In Bat Cave temperatures near ground level were 19.0-21.1°C in the maternity chamber, and 10.3-15.6°C near the entrance. In Victoria Fossil Cave temperatures near the fossil chamber were 16.9-18.3°C. In Blanche Cave and the outer chamber of Robertson Cave temperatures were 9.4-15.0°C, with temperatures in the inner chamber of Robertson Cave 14.2-15.0°C. Cave chambers with little air flow had seasonally stable temperatures, and those with high air flow showed seasonal temperature variations of 5-6°C.
The Ossuaries within the Victoria Fossil Cave (5U-1) contain a large, virtually untouched deposit of Pleistocene vertebrates. Discovered in the early 1970s, the chamber has been left unexcavated as a ‘reference’ section of the cave and contains taphonomic features analogous to the formation of other large deposits such as the Fossil Chamber. This paper presents the results of an in situ taphonomic investigation of large mammal fossils from The Ossuaries. The results suggest The Ossuaries acted as a pitfall trap for a range of large Pleistocene mammals, in particular kangaroos. Once accumulated, the skeletons of these animals were subject to burial and dispersal by water and modification by trampling and termite gnawing. The presence of articulated material suggests many animals survived their initial fall, only to wander further into the cave and perish at some distance from the entrance.
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 communities 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. Other detected sediment bacterial groups were assigned to the Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. The survey also showed differences in bacterial diversity in caves with human access compared to the control cave with the control cave having unique microbial sequences (Acinetobacter, Agromyces, Micrococcus and Streptomyces). The show caves had higher bacterial counts, different 16S rDNA based DGGE cluster patterns and principal component groupings compared to Strawhaven. Different factors such as human access, cave use and configurations could have been responsible for the differences observed in the bacterial community cluster patterns (tourist accessible and inaccessible areas) of these caves. Cave sediments can therefore act as reservoirs of microorganisms. This might have some implications on cave conservation activities especially if these sediments harbor rock art degrading microorganisms in caves with rock art.
Flank margin caves (FMC) have been predominantly described on carbonate islands such as in the Bahamas or the Marianas, using the Island Karst Model. This model has been used to explain karst development on young carbonate islands with poorly cemented eolianites, which differ substantially from continental karst, formed in well cemented limestones. Karst on continental margins especially the southern Australian coast, are not in well cemented telogenic rocks but in highly porous, highly permeable marine and eolian calcarenites. The gradual uplift over the past 50 Ma of the southern edge of the continent has resulted in Flank Margin Caves which formed in a coastal setting, being positioned significantly further inland and reflect the neotectonics of the Southern Australian passive continental margin rather than solely the Pleistocene glacio/eustatic sealevel fluctuations. The inter-relationship of tectonic setting, the distinctive characteristics of FMC and the speleogenesis of coastal karst assists in the understanding of the karst landscape evolution of significant karst areas of southern Australia.