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Tafoni Caves in Quaternary Carbonate Eolianites: Examples from the Bahamas

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Tafoni Caves in Quaternary Carbonate Eolianites: Examples from the Bahamas Mississippi State University Scholars Junction Theses and Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 5-1-2007 Tafoni caves in quaternary carbonate eolianites: examples from the Bahamas Athena Marie Owen Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td Recommended Citation Owen, Athena Marie, "Tafoni caves in quaternary carbonate eolianites: examples from the Bahamas" (2007). Theses and Dissertations. 4206. https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/4206 This Graduate Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Scholars Junction. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Junction. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TAFONI CAVES IN QUATERNARY CARBONATE EOLIANITES: EXAMPLES FROM THE BAHAMAS By Athena Marie Owen A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Mississippi State University In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science in Geosciences in the Department of Geosciences Mississippi State, Mississippi August 2007 Copyright Athena M. Owen 2007 TAFONI CAVES IN QUATERNARY CARBONATE EOLIANITES: EXAMPLES FROM THE BAHAMAS By Athena Marie Owen Approved: ______________________________ ______________________________ John E. Mylroie Chris P. Dewey Professor of Geology Associate Professor of Geology Director of Thesis Graduate Coordinator ______________________________ ______________________________ John C. Rodgers III Brenda Kirkland Assistant Professor of Geography Assistant Professor of Geology Committee Member Committee Member ______________________________ Philip Oldham College of Arts and Sciences Dean Name: Athena M. Owen Date of Degree: August 11, 2007 Institution: Mississippi State University Major Field: Geosciences Major Professor: Dr. John E. Mylroie Title of Study: TAFONI CAVES IN QUATERNARY CARBONATE EOLIANITES: EXAMPLES FROM THE BAHAMAS Pages in Study: 187 Candidate for Degree of Master’s of Science Tafoni have been confusingly defined in many ways: variations in size, rock type, and forming mechanisms. This study addresses tafoni in Quaternary eolian carbonates to help better define the term. Large tafoni were differentiated from other coastal caves in the Bahamas, specifically flank margin and sea caves, using morphometric analyses. The differentiation is important as all three cave types form in the same area, but flank margin and sea caves can be used as paleo-sea level indicators, while tafoni cannot. Small tafoni show a growth rate of 0.022 m3/yr; and may amalgmate to form larger tafoni, which grew at 0.65 m3/yr. Petrographic analysis helped identify tafoni-forming mechanisms; results revealed no evaporites present, removing crystal wedging as a mechanism, while indicating wind erosion as the primary mechanism. This analysis found significantly greater cements within the Holocene rocks compared to previous studies, and SEM analysis revealed organic cements preserved by oil-based cutting. Keywords: Tafoni, Flank Margin Caves, Sea Caves, Morphometric Analysis, Quaternary eolianites DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this work to Glenn and Julie Carriker, without your help and support at the beginning, I never would have made it this far. Thank you. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First I would like to thank my major professor Dr. John Mylroie, for making it possible for me to be here at State and all that he has done for me here, for sharing his love of caving with me inducing my own, for introducing me to tafoni, and taking me to the Bahamas many times to do this project. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. John Rodgers, and Dr. Brenda Kirkland. I would like to thank Dr. Rodgers for always being there for me and for always helping in any way that he could. I would like to thank Dr. Kirkland for her support and excitement over my project, and going beyond the project bounds, with the SEM and other work. Thanks are also given to Dr. Jamie Dyer for his countless hours of help with statistics and measuring tafoni. I also owe my gratitude to “Momma” Joan Mylroie for always knowing what to say, do, and for the oatmeal cream pies. I would also like to thank Andrew Nagel for keeping me sane and focused, for always being there for me and knowing just what I needed. I also owe thanks to my officemates and friends, Patrick Threatt, Adam Murrah, and Jamie Thomason, for all of their help, the dinners, and craziness that we had. Thank also goes to Jon Sumrall and Cale Sellers for their help in tafoni mapping and thin section work. My thanks also goes to Mike Lace, for showing me the program for cave map measurements and for being my caving buddy. I also thank the Erwin Russell fund for iii finical support, The Gerace Research Center, for logistical support and the 2006 Summer TIG students for helping me measure my 490 small tafoni. I would also like to thank the McIlwain Family and Rick and Julie Johnston, for all that they have done for me while I did this research. My most heartfelt thanks goes to Will Waterstrat, my field partner, officemate, and most of all my friend. He has helped me more than I could have ever asked, and has greatly added to the enjoyment of the last two years. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION .......................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ....................................................................................iii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................. ix CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................1 II. LITERATURE REVIEW .....................................................................…5 Geology ....................................................................................................5 Petrography.............................................................................................12 Caves and Karst .....................................................................................13 Tafoni .....................................................................................................15 III. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................25 Cave Maps .............................................................................................30 Image J....................................................................................................31 Measurements of Small-Scale Tafoni ....................................................33 Statistical Analysis .................................................................................37 Rock Samples .........................................................................................39 Thin Section Analysis ............................................................................42 iv IV. RESULTS ...............................................................................................44 Statistical Analysis..................................................................................44 Holocene vs. Pleistocene Tafoni .....................................................44 Tafoni Compared to Flank Margin and Sea Caves ..........................46 Small Tafoni .....................................................................................48 Small vs. Large Tafoni .....................................................................53 Overhangs and Projections ...............................................................58 Thin Section Analysis ..............................................................................58 Volume ....................................................................................................70 Tafoni from Other Bahamian Locations..................................................71 V. DISCUSSION .......................................................................................84 Tafoni vs. Flanks Margin Caves ..........................................................87 Tafoni vs. Sea Caves ............................................................................88 Small Tafoni .........................................................................................89 Overhangs and Projections ..................................................................95 Thin Section Analysis ..........................................................................96 Volume .................................................................................................98 Tafoni from Other Islands ....................................................................98 Formation of Tafoni............................................................................100 VI. CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................102 Additional Conclusions ........................................................................105 REFERENCES .........................................................................................................106 APPENDIX A. TAFONI DATA SHEETS ........................................................................110 B. TAFONI, FLANK MARGIN, AND SEA CAVES GRAPHS .................133 Small Tafoni Graphs.................................................................................140 v C. TAFONI CAVE MAPS ..........................................................................142
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