Biothems: Biologically Influenced Speleothems in the Caves of the Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico, USA J
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New Mexico Geological Society Downloaded from: http://nmgs.nmt.edu/publications/guidebooks/57 Biothems: Biologically influenced speleothems in the caves of the Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico, USA J. Michael Queen and Leslie A. Melim, 2006, pp. 167-173 in: Caves and Karst of Southeastern New Mexico, Land, Lewis; Lueth, Virgil W.; Raatz, William; Boston, Penny; Love, David L.; [eds.], New Mexico Geological Society 57th Annual Fall Field Conference Guidebook, 344 p. This is one of many related papers that were included in the 2006 NMGS Fall Field Conference Guidebook. Annual NMGS Fall Field Conference Guidebooks Every fall since 1950, the New Mexico Geological Society (NMGS) has held an annual Fall Field Conference that explores some region of New Mexico (or surrounding states). Always well attended, these conferences provide a guidebook to participants. Besides detailed road logs, the guidebooks contain many well written, edited, and peer-reviewed geoscience papers. 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MELIM2 1814 North Canal Street, Carlsbad, NM, 88220, [email protected] 2Western Illinois University, Dept. of Geology, 1 University Circle, Macomb, IL 61455, [email protected] ABSTRACT.—Biothems are speleothems in which the morphology, internal structure or composition was influenced by organ- isms. This paper is a first attempt to identify biothems found in modern and fossil pools (former pools, now dry) of the Gua- dalupe Mountain caves. We have identified several features that suggest biologic involvement including patchy distribution, projecting forms, downwardly pendant forms, active slime (biofilm), mineralized slime, internal micritic or pelmicritic fabric and fossil filaments and/or fossil biofilm seen in the scanning electron microscope. We distinguish between Type 1 biothems, those containing direct evidence of microbial involvement, and Type 2 biothems, those suspected of biologic involvement but lacking obvious direct evidence. Type 1 biothems include bryolites, conical crusts, moonmilk (some varieties), pool fingers, ramose balls, rusticles, u-loops and webulites. Type 2 biothems include blades/chenille spar, drips, hemispheres, pinnacles/ conical mounds, scales, radiating flowers, tangential chips and tufted cushions. These terms are preliminary and meant to guide future research. INTRODUCTION CO2 degassing or to evaporation from cave walls or cave pools Despite a long history of study and exploration, caves remain (Thraikill, 1971; Hill and Forti, 1997). However, the growing rec- a rich resource for both research and recreation. Popular research ognition that caves contain abundant microorganisms (Northup topics include speleogenesis, mineralogy of cave precipitates, and Lavoie, 2001) and that these communities can affect min- stalactites and stalagmites (particularly as records of climate eral precipitation (Melim et al., 2001; Jones, 2001; Cacchio et al., change), and micro- and macro-biology (Northup et al., 1997). 2004) questions the assumption that speleothems are the result of Surprisingly little work, however, has been done on cave pools purely abiologic precipitation. and the minerals that line them (González and Lohmann, 1988; González et al., 1992; Melim et al., 2001). Our continuing work WHAT ARE BIOTHEMS? in the modern and fossil cave pools of the Guadalupe Mountains has shown that there are complex interactions between inorganic Cunningham et al. (1995) coined the term “biothems” to and biologic processes that influence the development of a wide describe speleothems in Lechuguilla Cave containing evidence of variety of pool speleothems. This report is our preliminary effort microbial life such as filaments, hyphae, or webs of mineralized at identification of features with possible biologic involvement. biofilm. We extend this definition to any speleothem where the This work is mainly based on observation of morphology and morphology, internal structure or composition was influenced by should be used to guide future research rather than be considered organisms. Although there are exceptions, most of the purported a definitive description of pool biothems. biothems were apparently formed underwater in cave pools. A few living examples occur in the Guadalupe caves but many more FIELD LOCATION examples are found in the abundant dry paleopools. The Guadalupe Mountains are located in southeastern New CHARACTERISTICS OF ABIOLOGIC CAVE POOL Mexico and West Texas, in the southwestern United States. They DEPOSITS expose a thick stratigraphic sequence of Permian carbonate rocks, including outstanding outcrops of the Capitan Reef Complex of Typical pool precipitates include rafts, pool spar and shelfstone Newell et al. (1953; see also Saller et al., 1999). Approximately (Hill and Forti, 1997). The top of paleopools can be easily recog- three hundred caves are known in the Guadalupe Mountains nized by either the presence of shelfstone (if present) or the hori- (DuChene and Martinez, 2000), overseen by Carlsbad Caverns zontal waterline marked by the upper limit of pool spar. Rafts and National Park, the National Forest Service, and the Bureau of shelfstone form along the surface as evaporation and/or degas- Land Management. These include Carlsbad Cavern, one of the sing lead to precipitation. Below the water level, rock surfaces most popular of the caves managed by the National Park Service, are coated by uniform to botryoidal crusts (pool spar; Hill and and Lechuguilla Cave, fifth longest cave in the world (Gulden, Forti, 1997) that are similar to the isopachous cements common 1996) and the deepest known in the continental United States. in phreatic cementation (see James and Choquette, 1990a, b; Choquette and James, 1990; Tucker and Wright, 1990). SPELEOTHEMS: GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS BIOTHEM INDICATORS Mineral precipitates formed in caves are called speleothems and include the commonly encountered cave decorations such as While no single feature is diagnostic, a number of features stalactites, stalagmites, etc. (Hill and Forti, 1997). Precipitation is can suggest biologic involvement in formation of a speleothem. typically attributed to calcite oversaturation resulting from either These include: 168 QUEEN AND MELIM Patchy distribution: While pool spar typically coats all pool liminary structure to which the growing body of field and labora- surfaces (Hill and Forti, 1997), biothems are patchy, often occur- tory observations may be related. As more observations are made, ring in only one area of a pool or one pool in a room with several particular features may either be demonstrated to have organic pools. Patchy distribution is difficult to explain chemically as it is associations or be recognized as abiotic. hard to maintain closely spaced, chemically distinct, subaqueous Type I (demonstrated biologic associations): speleothems con- microenvironments without invoking biologic controls. taining direct evidence of microbes such as fossilized filaments Projecting form: The morphology of biothems is varied, but or other cellular material, mineralized slime, or microbial fabrics all of the forms recognized so far share the characteristic that in thin section. This does not mean that the microbes actively they stick up, jut out or hang down from the surface they coat. precipitated the speleothem (Jones, 2001), but does indicate the This characteristic separates them from the uniform or botryoidal presence of microbes; and their activity may have influenced the crusts of pool spar they often cover. There is no reason a biothem environment in which the speleothem formed. couldn’t also form a uniform coating but then it would be difficult Type II (suspected biologic associations): speleothems with to distinguish from abiologic crusts. one or more of the biothem indicators, but without observed Downwardly