Cave and Karst Evolution in the Alps and Their Relation to Paleoclimate and Paleotopography

Abstract

UDC 551. 435.84(234.3) Philippe Audra, Alfredo Bini, Franci Gabrovšek, Philipp Häuselmann, Fabien Hobléa, Pierre-Yves Jeannin, Jurij Kunaver, Michel Monbaron, France Šušteršič, Paola Tognini, Hubert Trimmel & Andres Wildberger: Cave and Karst evolution in the Alps and their relation to paleoclimate and paleotopography Progress in the understanding of cave genesis processes, as well as the intensive research carried out in the Alps during the last decades, permit to summarize the latest knowledge about Alpine caves. The phreatic parts of cave systems develop close to the karst water table, which depends on the spring position, which in turn is generally related to the valley bottom. Thus, caves are directly linked with the geomorphic evolution of the surface and reflect valley deepening. The sediments deposited in the caves help to reconstruct the morphologic succession and the paleoclimatic evolution. Moreover, they are the only means to date the caves and thus the landscape evolution. Caves appear as soon as there is an emersion of limestone from the sea and a water table gradient. Mesozoic and early tertiary paleokarsts within the alpine range prove of these ancient emersions. Hydrothermal karst seems to be more widespread than previously Ta temeljijo na sintezi novih dognanj o procesih speleogeneze in rezultatih intenzivnih terenskih raziskav v Alpah v zadnjih desetletjih. Razvoj freatičnih delov jamskih sistemov poteka v bližini freatične površine, ki je vezana na položaj izvirov, ti pa so vezani na dno alpskih dolin. Torej je razvoj jam neposredno vezan na geomorfološki razvoj terena in poglabljanje dolin. Jamski sedimenti nosijo informacijo o zaporedju morfoloških in klimatskih dogodkov. Še več, določanje starosti jam in poteka razvoja površja, je možno edino z datacijo jamskih sedimentov. Razvoj jam se začne ob emerziji apnenca in vzpostavitvi hidravličnega gradienta. Mezocojski in zgodnje terciarni paleokras v območju Alp so dokaz starih emerzij. Hidrotermalni kras je očitno bolj razširjen, kot so domnevali v preteklosti. Te jame so bile pozneje preoblikovane z meteorno vodo, ki je zabrisala sledi zgodnjega hipogenega zakrasevanja. Ledeniki zavi-TIME in KARST -2007 54 presumed. This is mostly due to the fact that usually, hydrothermal caves are later reused (and reshaped) by meteoric waters. Rock-ghost weathering is described as a new cave genesis agent. On the contrary, glaciers hinder cave genesis processes and fill caves. They mainly influence cave genesis indirectly by valley deepening and abrasion of the caprock. All present datings suggest that many alpine caves (excluding paleokarst) are of Pliocene or even Miocene age. Progress in dating methods (mainly the recent evolution with cosmogenic nuclides) should permit, in the near future, to date not only Pleistocene, but also Pliocene cave sediments absolutely. Key Words: Karst, Cave genesis, Alps, Glaciations, Messinian event, Paleoclimate, Paleotopography. rajo procese speleogeneze in zapolnjujejo jame. Na razvoj jam vplivajo posredno, p...

Morphogenesis of hypogenic caves

“…An interesting suggestion of yet another mechanism of maze development is due to "phantomisation" (rock-ghost weathering) by slow flow through fractures and dissolution of cement in the surrounding matrix at depth and subsequent erosional removal of the impure residue in the vadose zone (Vergari and Quinif, 1997;Audra et al, 2007). As little is known about caves assigned to form by this mechanism, it is not discussed here.…”

“…Floodwater high gradient origin is a feasible mechanism for producing small mazes proximal to obstructions that occur along well-defined stream passages conducting highly variable flow (Palmer, 1975(Palmer, , 2001, or larger mazes in the epiphreatic zone of high-gradient alpine cave systems subject to quick and high rises of water table (Audra et al, 2007). However, in relatively low-gradient environments (such as in cratons), it is less likely to create large maze clusters linked to rather small streams, such as in Skull Cave, New York, USA, often referred to as an example of floodwater development (Palmer, 2001).…”

“…These caves include: maze caves in the Neogene gypsum in Western Ukraine (Optimistychna, Ozerna, Zoloushka, Kristal'na, Mlynki, Slavka, Atlantida, Dzurinska, etc. ) (Galdenzi and Menichetti, 1995); Eocene limestones in Hungary (Takács-Bolner and Kraus, 1989;Dublyansky, 1995; Lower Ordovician limestones in the Angaro-Lensky artesian basin, Siberia, Russia (Botovskaya Cave; Filippov, 2000); Paleogene gypsum in the Paris Basin, France (Denis Parisis Cave; Beluche et al, 1996); Jurassic limestones in Alps and Prealps, France (Audra et al, 2002(Audra et al, , 2007; Permian gypsum in the South Harz, Germany (Kempe, 1996); Cretaceous limestones and dolomites in Israel (Frumkin and Fischhendler, 2005;Frumkin and Gvirtzman, 2006); late Archaean carbonates in the Transvaal Basin in South Africa (Sterkfontein Cave; Martini et al, 2003), Ordovician limestone in Missouri, USA (Brod, 1964); Paleozoic limestones in eastern Australia (Osborne, 2001a,b).…”

Cave clastic sediments and implications for speleogenesis: New insights from the Mugnano Cave (Montagnola Senese, Northern Apennines, Italy)

“…Some authors hypothesize that clastic sediments in caves may be a source of information about speleogenesis (Springer, 2005), but in spite of the increasing number of papers dealing with these deposits, only few of these have focused on their implications in speleogenetic processes and, in particular, on the creation of the underground space. Only recently some authors (Vergari and Quinif, 1997;Tognini, 1999;Häuselmann and Tognini, 2005;Quinif et al, 2006;Audra et al, 2007;Quinif, 2010) have described a new speleogenetic process ("phantomisation", or rock-ghost weathering), in which the study of cave clastic sediments provides important information concerning the evolution of karst systems in impure limestone and dolostone rocks. Similar processes have been already described, with different terms, for caves developed in quartz-rich rocks (Piccini and Mecchia, 2009 and reference therein).…”

Past surface conditions and speleogenesis as inferred from cave sediments in the Great Cave of Șălitrari Mountain (SW Romania)

“…Their merit resides in their applicability to a variety of connected research fields: anthropology and archaeology (e.g., Berger et al, 2008), paleoclimatology (e.g., Audra et al, 2007;Polk et al, 2007), paleoenvironment and paleotopography reconstructions, mineralogy (e.g., Polyak and Guven, 2000;Onac et al, 2007), sedimentology and speleogenesis (e.g., Horoi, 1993;Roată, 1993;Häuselmann et al, 2010), as well as several others (e.g., Sasowsky, 2007).…”