Cryogenic cave carbonate and implications for thawing permafrost at Winter Wonderland Cave, Utah, USA

Munroe, Jeffrey S.; Kimble, Kristin; Spötl, Christoph; Marks, Gabriela Serrato; McGee, David; Herron, David

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-85658-9

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…the "CCC window", Spötl et al, 2021;Koltai et al, 2021), indicating that the cave was surrounded by permafrost at the time of CCC formation. A study of Winter Wonderland Cave, USA (Munroe et al, 2021), validated this genetic model by observing very recent formation of CCCs in the exact setting proposed by Žák et al (2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…A possible explanation for this high variability can be entertained by con-sidering the dynamic nature of CCC-forming pools. Munroe et al (2021) reported that the residual pools holding CCCs in Winter Wonderland Cave show different degrees of discolouration of the residual water, indicating that progressive freezing altered the physio-chemical properties of the residual water. One possible explanation could be that the ratio between the different Th sources listed above changes, thereby altering the Th isotopic composition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…from approximately 10 to 10 000, e.g. Žák et al, 2009;Chaykovskiy et al, 2014;Spötl and Cheng, 2014;Munroe et al, 2021).…”

Section: Th/u Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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²³⁰Th ∕ U isochron dating of cryogenic cave carbonates

et al. 2022

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Cryogenic cave carbonates (CCCs) are a type of speleothem, typically dated with 230 Th/U disequilibrium methods, that provide evidence of palaeo-permafrost conditions. In the field, CCCs occur as distinct patches of millimetre-to centimetre-sized loose crystals and crystal aggregates on the floors of cave chambers, so they lack a framework that would allow ages to be validated by stratigraphic order. Correction factors for the initial 230 Th ( 230 Th 0 ) are often based on the bulk-earth-derived initial 230 Th/ 232 Th activity ratio (( 230 Th/ 232 Th) 0 ), which is a well-established approach when 230 Th 0 is moderately low. For samples with elevated levels of 230 Th 0 , however, accuracy can be improved by constraining ( 230 Th/ 232 Th) 0 independently. Here, we combine detailed morphological observations from three CCC patches found in Water Icicle Close Cavern in the Peak District (UK) with 230 Th/U analyses. We find that individual CCC crystals show a range of morphologies that arise from non-crystallographic branching in response to the chemical evolution of the freezing solution. Results of 230 Th/U dating indicate that samples with a large surface area relative to the sample volume are systematically more affected by contamination with 230 Th 0 . By fitting isochrons to these results, we test whether the CCCs in a patch formed during the same freezing event, and demonstrate that ( 230 Th/ 232 Th) 0 can deviate substantially from the bulk-earth-derived value and can also vary between the different CCC patches. Where CCCs display elevated 230 Th 0 , isochrons are a useful tool to constrain ( 230 Th/ 232 Th) 0 and obtain ages with improved accuracy. Detritus absorbed to the crystal surface is shown to be the most likely source of 230 Th 0 . Our results suggest that some previously published CCC ages may merit re-assessment, and we provide suggestions on how to approach future dating efforts.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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²³⁰Th ∕ U isochron dating of cryogenic cave carbonates

et al. 2022

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“…Previous studies have defined the CCC formation window between -1 and 0 °C, whereas a temperature between -0.5 and 0 °C is deemed more likely (Koltai et al, 2021;Spötl et al, 2021). Recent studies reported in-situ finds of CCCs and provided further support for this genetic model of slowly freezing ionized water at temperatures slightly below 0 °C , which previously had relied on indirect field evidence and the carbon and oxygen isotopic composition (Bartolomé et al, 2015;Munroe et al, 2021). CCC formation https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2023-72 Preprint.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Reconstructing Younger Dryas Ground Temperature and Snow Thickness from Cave Deposits

Töchterle,

Baldo,

Murton

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Abstract. The Younger Dryas Stadial was characterized by a rapid shift towards cold-climate conditions in the North Atlantic realm during the last deglaciation. While some climate parameters including atmospheric temperature and glacier extent are widely studied, empirical constraints on permafrost temperature and snow thickness are limited. To address this, we present a regional dataset of cryogenic cave carbonates (CCCs) from three caves in Great Britain that formed at temperatures between −2 and 0 °C. Our CCC record indicates that these permafrost temperatures persisted for most of the Younger Dryas. By 15 combining ground temperatures with surface temperatures from high-resolution, ground-truthed model simulations, we demonstrate that ground temperatures were approximately 6.6 ± 2.3 °C warmer than the mean annual air temperature. Our results suggest that the observed temperature offset between permafrost and the atmosphere can be explained by an average snow thickness between 0.2 and 0.9 m, which persisted for 233 ± 54 days per year.

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“…Furthermore, temporal and spatial changes in past permafrost distribution have been identified using speleothems (stalagmites, flowstones) in circumpolar and polar regions (e.g., Vaks et al, 2013Vaks et al, , 2020Moseley et al, 2021) as well as in mid-latitude regions (e.g., Lundberg and McFarlane, 2007;Fankhauser et al, 2016;Lechleitner et al, 2020). Recently, coarse cryogenic cave carbonates (CCCcoarse), that form during slow freezing of water inside caves, have been used as indicator of permafrost degradation, permafrost thickness, and subsurface ice formation (Žák et al, 2004Richter et al, 2010;Luetscher et al, 2013;Orvošová et al, 2014;Spötl and Cheng, 2014;Bartolomé et al, 2015;Dublyansky et al, 2018;Koltai et al, 2020;Munroe et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mountain permafrost in the Central Pyrenees: insights from the Devaux ice cave

Bartolomé

Cazenave²,

Luetscher

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Abstract. Ice caves are one of the least studied parts of the cryosphere, particularly those located in inaccessible permafrost areas at high altitudes or high latitudes. We characterize the climate dynamics and the geomorphological features of Devaux cave, an outstanding ice cave in the Central Pyrenees on the French-Spanish border. Two distinct cave sectors were identified based on air temperature and geomorphological observations. The first one comprises well-ventilated galleries with large temperature oscillations likely influenced by a cave river. The second sector corresponds to more isolated chambers, where air and rock temperatures stay below 0 ºC throughout the year. Seasonal layered ice and hoarfrost occupy the first sector, while transparent, massive perennial ice is present in the isolated chambers. Cryogenic calcite and gypsum are mainly present within the perennial ice. During winter, the cave river freezes at the outlet, resulting in a damming and back-flooding of the cave. We suggest that relict ice formations record past damming events with subsequent congelation. δ34S values of gypsum indicate that the sulfate originated from the oxidation of pyrite present in the bedrock. Several features including the air and rock temperatures, the absence of drips, the low loss of ice, and the location of ice bodies in the cave indicate the cave permafrost is the result of a combination of undercooling by ventilation and diffusive heat transfer from the surrounding permafrost, reaching ~200 m below the surface.

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Cryogenic cave carbonate and implications for thawing permafrost at Winter Wonderland Cave, Utah, USA

Cited by 13 publications

References 46 publications

²³⁰Th ∕ U isochron dating of cryogenic cave carbonates

²³⁰Th ∕ U isochron dating of cryogenic cave carbonates

Reconstructing Younger Dryas Ground Temperature and Snow Thickness from Cave Deposits

Mountain permafrost in the Central Pyrenees: insights from the Devaux ice cave

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Cryogenic cave carbonate and implications for thawing permafrost at Winter Wonderland Cave, Utah, USA

Cited by 13 publications

References 46 publications

230Th ∕ U isochron dating of cryogenic cave carbonates

230Th ∕ U isochron dating of cryogenic cave carbonates

Reconstructing Younger Dryas Ground Temperature and Snow Thickness from Cave Deposits

Mountain permafrost in the Central Pyrenees: insights from the Devaux ice cave

Contact Info

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²³⁰Th ∕ U isochron dating of cryogenic cave carbonates

²³⁰Th ∕ U isochron dating of cryogenic cave carbonates