Journal of Cave and Karst Studies

ISSN 1090-6924

Contact: Malcolm Field (field.malcolm@epa.gov)

Website: http://www.caves.org/pub/journal/

Recent issue: August 2005, 67(2)

Despain, J. D. and Stock, G. M. 2005.  Geomorphic history of Crystal Cave, Southern Sierra Nevada, California.

Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, 67(2), 92–102. ISSN 1090-6924.

Cave development in mountainous regions is influenced by a number of factors, including steep catch­ments, highly variable allogenic recharge, large sediment fluxes, and rapid rates of canyon downcutting. Caves can help to quantify this latter process, provided their ages are determined. Here we investigate the history of 4.8 km long Crystal Cave, a complex, multiple level cave in the Sierra Nevada, through detailed geomorphic and geochronologic investigations. Crystal Cave is composed of six major levels spanning 64 m in elevation. The levels are comprised of large, low gradient conduit tubes, and are con­nected by numerous narrow, steeply descending canyon passages. Passages in the upstream end of the cave are significantly modified by collapse, while in the downstream section they are intact with an anas­tomotic maze overprinting. Dye tracing confirms that the cave stream originates from partial sinking of Yucca Creek to the north. Passage gradients, wall scallops, and sediment imbrication indicate that groundwater flowed consistently southeast through time, forming cave levels as bedrock incision of Cascade Creek lowered local base level. Although modern cave stream discharges are restricted to ~0.03 m3 s−1, likely due to passage collapse near the sink point ca. 0.5 million years ago (Ma), bedrock scallops and coarse clastic sediment in upper levels indicate paleodischarges as much as three orders of magni­tude greater prior to that time. Infrequent high discharge flood events played an important role in pas­sage development and sediment transport. Cosmogenic 26Al/10Be burial dating of sediment suggest that the majority of Crystal Cave formed rapidly between ca. 1.2 and 0.5 Ma; rates of cave development approach theoretical maximums, presumably due to a combination of allogenic recharge highly under­saturated with respect to calcite, and physical erosion by transported sediment.

Pipan, T. and Culver, D. C. 2005. Estimating biodiversity in the epikarstic zone of a West Virginia Cave.

Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, 67(2), 103–109. ISSN 1090-6924.
A total of 13 ceiling drips in Organ Cave, West Virginia, USA, were sampled for fauna for three consec­utive 10 day intervals. A total of 444 individuals from 10 copepod genera were found. Incidence func­tions revealed that 90 percent of the genera were found in eight samples, and that estimates of total diver­sity indicated only one or two genera had yet to be found. The overall rate of false negatives for differ­ent drips was 0.39 and the overall rate for different time intervals was 0.31, also suggesting that the sam­pling scheme was sufficient. Compared to nearby pools which serve as collection points for epikarst water, the drip samples were significantly different and more diverse. In addition to copepods, a wide variety of other invertebrates were found in drips, including many terrestrial insects that serve as part of the food base for the cave community. Direct sampling of drips is the preferred method at present for sampling the epikarst fauna.

Moore, J. C., Saunders, P., Selby, G., Horton, H., Chelius, M. K., Chapman, A. and Horrocks, R. D. 2005. The distribution and life history of Arrhopalites caecus (Tullberg): Order: Collembola, in Wind Cave, South Dakota, USA.

Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, 67(2), 110–119. ISSN 1090-6924.

Individuals of the collembolan species Arrhopalites caecus (Tullberg) were collected from drip pools within Wind Cave, South Dakota, at Methodist Church adjacent to the Natural Entrance Tour Route and Room Draculum near survey marker NP-39. Specimens were identified as A. caecus using direct inter­ference and scanning electron microscopy. Molecular analysis of the D2 region of 28S rDNA was per­formed and the sequences were deposited in Genbank (accession number AY239037). We determined that our population of A. caecus reproduced parthenogenetically by successively isolating and rearing eggs through the F4 generation on 9:5 plaster:charcoal media maintained at 21°C, and by the absence of males. Molecular analysis of 16S rDNA for bacterium within our specimens failed to detect the α-pro-teobacterium (Rickettseales) Wolbachia. Generation times, fecundity, and molt frequency were consistent with other reports for Collembola.

Florea, L. 2005. Using state-wide GIS data to identify the coincidence between sinkholes and geologic structure.

Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, 67(2), 120–124. ISSN 1090-6924.

The Kentucky GIS coverage of sinkholes, completed in 2003, consists of 101,176 polygons representing the upper-most closed contour of every karst sinkhole identified using USGS 1:24,000 scale topograph­ic maps. This resource is a useful tool for delineating karst landscapes in Kentucky because karstified limestones underlie 55% of the aerial surface of the state. For hydrologic studies, alignments of sink­holes commonly indicate preferential flowpaths for groundwater; and this information aids in large-scale planning and zoning. In this paper, I demonstrate the effectiveness of using this sinkhole coverage as a tool for delimiting structural features of Kentucky.

Polyak, V. J. and Provencio, P. P. 2005. Comet cones: A variety of cave cone from Fort Stanton Cave, New Mexico.

Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, 67(2), 125–126. ISSN 1090-6924.

The name “comet cones” is suggested for a variety of cave cone, after their physical likeness with the images of comets. The comet cones of Fort Stanton Cave are constructed of millimeter-sized calcite cave rafts. A pre-existing stream environment is responsible for the small size of the rafts as well as the development of a “comet” tail on the cones. Drips from condensate water sank the rafts and formed the cones.

Sasowsky, I. D. and Dalton, C. T. 2005. Measurement of pH for field studies in karst areas.

Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, 67(2), 127–132. ISSN 1090-6924.

The determination of pH in karst waters is important for evaluating such chemical processes as cave growth, speleothem deposition, and overall water chemistry. Relatively small errors in pH readings can result in significant misinterpretations of the chemical processes taking place. For example, a pH error of 0.5 units would produce a correlative error in SIcalcite of 0.5. To ensure accuracy, pH must be measured in the field, but the conditions in karst settings make this hard to accomplish, and there is minimal pub­lished guidance available. Actions that help to improve data quality include: use of a good meter/electrode (accurate to 2 decimal places), careful preparation before field activities, cautious transport of instruments, frequent calibration, measurement in a beaker (not the water body), and allowance of time for equilibration. Instrumentation that allows measurement of very small samples, samples in wells, or continuous monitoring are available, but are more expensive and usually not as accurate.