Hypogenic karst of the Great Basin

Hose, Louise D.; Duchene, H; Jones, Daniel S.; Baker, Gretchen M.; Havlena, Zoë; Sweetkind, Donald S.; Powell, Doug

doi:10.1130/2020.0061(05)

Cited by 3 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Murata of the United States Geological Survey (Anonymous, 1965). As described earlier, the GA preserves features recently reinterpreted as having formed under hypogenic, sulfuric acid speleogenesis (Hose et al, 2021). There is no detectable H2S currently present in air or waters in the GA or any other part of the cave.…”

Section: Study Area and Sample Collectionsupporting

confidence: 58%

“…The PCL was metamorphosed to a mylonitic marble during the Miocene Snake Range décollement event, prior to the development of the cave (Hose et al, 2021). Small outcrops of the mid-Cambrian Pioche Shale are observable where it intruded into the PCL during a period of local faulting, and part of the cave is capped by the Neoproterozoic Prospect Mountain Quartzite (PMC) (Figure 1C).…”

Section: Study Area and Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conditions in the cave are stable year-round, with average temperatures of 11 °C and 95% humidity (Hose et al, 2021). There is a limited air exchange between the cave and the surface, as the entrance and exit for visitors are constructed passageways with doors at each end of the tunnels.…”

Section: Sample Collection and Field Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While historically considered an epigenic cave that formed at the water table (Moore & Sullivan, 1978), this explanation is not consistent with the arid setting of Lehman Caves and lack of connection to ancient or modern drainage features. Recently, Hose et al (2021) reinterpreted features within Lehman Caves as evidence for hypogene, sulfuric acid speleogenesis, contrasting the classic interpretation with a complex, multistage formational history. Hypogenic caves form by "bottom-up" processes, where carbonate dissolution is driven by rising groundwaters charged with carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), or other acids.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…SAS morphologies in the cave include acid pool features, bubble trails, hollow coralloidal stalagmites, and irregularly shaped pseudoscallops (Hose et al, 2021). These features are most evident in a passage known as the Gypsum Annex (GA), where extensive, loose, white mineral residues distinguish it from the other highly decorated passages, perhaps because the GA was protected from infiltration by an overlying quartzite caprock (Hose et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Origin and modern microbial ecology of secondary mineral deposits in Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park, NV, USA

Havlena,

Hose,

DuChene

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Lehman Caves is an extensively decorated, high desert cave that represents one of the main tourist attractions in Great Basin National Park, Nevada. Although traditionally considered a water table cave, recent studies identified abundant speleogenetic features consistent with a hypogenic and, potentially, sulfuric acid origin. Here, we characterized white mineral deposits in the Gypsum Annex (GA) passage to determine whether these secondary deposits represent biogenic minerals formed during sulfuric acid corrosion, and explored microbial communities associated with these and other mineral deposits throughout the cave. Powder X-ray diffraction (pXRD), scanning electron microscopy with electron dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and electron microprobe analyses (EPMA) showed that, while most white mineral deposits from the GA contain gypsum, they also contain abundant calcite, silica, and other phases. Gypsum and carbonate-associated sulfate isotopic values of these deposits are variable, with δ34SV-CDTbetween +9.7‰ and +26.1‰, and do not reflect depleted values typically associated with replacement gypsum formed during sulfuric acid speleogenesis. Petrographic observations show that the sulfates likely co-precipitated with carbonate and SiO2phases. Taken together, these data suggest that the deposits resulted from later stage meteoric events and not during an initial episode of sulfuric acid speleogenesis. Most sedimentary and mineral deposits in Lehman Caves have very low microbial biomass, with the exception of select areas along the main tour route that have been impacted by tourist traffic. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing showed that microbial communities in GA sediments are distinct from those in other parts of the cave. The microbial communities that inhabit these oligotrophic secondary mineral deposits include OTUs related to known ammonia-oxidizing Nitrosococcales and Thaumarchaeota, as well as common soil taxa such as Acidobacteriota and Proteobacteria. This study reveals microbial and mineralogical diversity in a previously understudied cave and expands our understanding of the geomicrobiology of arid, hypogene cave systems.

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Section: Study Area and Sample Collectionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Section: Study Area and Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sample Collection and Field Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Origin and modern microbial ecology of secondary mineral deposits in Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park, NV, USA

Havlena,

Hose,

DuChene

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Origin and modern microbial ecology of secondary mineral deposits in Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park, NV, USA

Havlena,

Hose,

DuChene

et al. 2024

Geobiology

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Lehman Caves is an extensively decorated high desert cave that represents one of the main tourist attractions in Great Basin National Park, Nevada. Although traditionally considered a water table cave, recent studies identified abundant speleogenetic features consistent with a hypogenic and, potentially, sulfuric acid origin. Here, we characterized white mineral deposits in the Gypsum Annex (GA) passage to determine whether these secondary deposits represent biogenic minerals formed during sulfuric acid corrosion and explored microbial communities associated with these and other mineral deposits throughout the cave. Powder X‐ray diffraction (pXRD), scanning electron microscopy with electron dispersive spectroscopy (SEM‐EDS), and electron microprobe analyses (EPMA) showed that, while most white mineral deposits from the GA contain gypsum, they also contain abundant calcite, silica, and other phases. Gypsum and carbonate‐associated sulfate isotopic values of these deposits are variable, with δ34SV‐CDT between +9.7‰ and +26.1‰, and do not reflect depleted values typically associated with replacement gypsum formed during sulfuric acid speleogenesis. Petrographic observations show that the sulfates likely co‐precipitated with carbonate and SiO2 phases. Taken together, these data suggest that the deposits resulted from later‐stage meteoric events and not during an initial episode of sulfuric acid speleogenesis. Most sedimentary and mineral deposits in Lehman Caves have very low microbial biomass, with the exception of select areas along the main tour route that have been impacted by tourist traffic. High‐throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing showed that microbial communities in GA sediments are distinct from those in other parts of the cave. The microbial communities that inhabit these oligotrophic secondary mineral deposits include OTUs related to known ammonia‐oxidizing Nitrosococcales and Thaumarchaeota, as well as common soil taxa such as Acidobacteriota and Proteobacteria. This study reveals microbial and mineralogical diversity in a previously understudied cave and expands our understanding of the geomicrobiology of desert hypogene cave systems.

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Gypsum Sediments in Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park, NV, USA.

Havlena

Jones

Hose

et al. 2022

New Mexico Geological Society, 2022 Annual Spring Meeting, Proceedings Volume, Theme: "Karst in New Mexico in Recognition of 20

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Lehman Caves is set in mylonitic marble in the Southern Snake Range of Eastern Nevada, USA, and is part of Great Basin National Park. Recent morphological evidence described by Hose et al. 1 indicate abundant features within the Gypsum Annex consistent with a hypogenic and sulfuric acid origin, in contrast with earlier and limited descriptions of the cave. Hose et al. propose a two-stage speleogenetic model with sulfuric acid speleogenesis (SAS) as the initial dissolution event followed by later stage epigenic overprinting in most of the cave. We sought to determine if sediments in the Gypsum Annex could be part of the proposed sulfuric acid origin versus a later-phase feature, and to compare these sediments to speleogenetic gypsum from other known SAS caves such as Carlsbad Cavern in New Mexico and the Frasassi Caves in Italy. We first characterized the mineralogy of the sediments throughout Lehman using powdered X-ray diffraction (pXRD) and, for select samples, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). To determine if the white sediments (gypsum and calcite) found in the Gypsum Annex were related to an SAS phase or if they precipitated during a later phase of speleogenesis, we examined the δ 34 S values of gypsum and carbonate associated sulfate. We then sought to determine if these sediments host microbial life and how they compare to microbial communities, which are observed in active SAS systems. Microbial biomass in most of the sediments is very low, although 16S rRNA gene libraries suggest segregation of microbial species within different passages of the cave, and that inorganic N compounds are important energy resources for extant cave communities. Petrographic analysis of thin sections, in progress, will be used to evaluate diagenetic processes in the white deposits and look for potential traces of past life References:

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Hypogenic karst of the Great Basin

Cited by 3 publications

References 48 publications

Origin and modern microbial ecology of secondary mineral deposits in Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park, NV, USA

Origin and modern microbial ecology of secondary mineral deposits in Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park, NV, USA

Origin and modern microbial ecology of secondary mineral deposits in Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park, NV, USA

Gypsum Sediments in Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park, NV, USA.

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