April 2005 JOURNAL OF Volume 67 Number 1 ISSN 1090-6924 A Publication of the National CAVE AND KARST Speleological Society STUDIES Journal of Cave and Karst Studies Editor Malcolm S. Field of the National Speleological Society National Center of Environmental Assessment (8623D) Volume 67 Number 1 April 2005 Office of Research and Development U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW CONTENTS Washington, DC 20460-0001 202-564-3279 Voice 202-565-0079 FAX Article [email protected] Genetic processes of cave minerals in volcanic environments: An overview Production Editor Paolo Forti 3 James A. Pisarowicz Wind Cave National Park Article Hot Springs, SD 57747 Karst development on Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern 605-673-5582 Mariana Islands: Controls on dissolution in relation [email protected] to the carbonate island karst model BOARD OF EDITORS Kevin Stafford, John Mylroie, Danko Taboroši, John Jenson, Anthropology and Joan Mylroie 14 Patty Jo Watson Article Department of Anthropology Washington University Microbial metabolic structure in a sulfidic cave hot spring: St. Louis, MO 63130 Potential mechanisms of biospeleogenesis [email protected] Hazel Barton and Frederick Luiszer 28 Conservation-Life Sciences Article Julian J. Lewis & Salisa L. Lewis Lewis & Associates LLC The 19th century excavation of Kent’s Cavern, England Cave, Karst & Groundwater Biological Consulting Donald A. McFarlane and Joyce Lundberg 39 17903 State Road 60 Borden, IN 47106-8608 Article 812-283-6120 Karst distribution and controls on Yoron-Jima, [email protected] an emerged reef island in sub-tropical Japan Earth Sciences-Journal Index James P Terry 48 Ira D. Sasowsky Department of Geology Discussion University of Akron Persistent coliform contamination in Lechuguilla cave pools Akron, OH 44325-4101 330-972-5389 Hazel A. Barton and Norman R. Pace 55 [email protected] Forum Exploration Persistent coliform contamination in Lechuguilla cave pools Paul Burger Donald G. Davis 57 Cave Resources Office 3225 National Parks Highway Book Reviews Carlsbad, NM 88220 Encyclopedia of Caves 58 (505)785-3106 [email protected] Recommendations and Guidelines for Managing Caves on Protected Lands 59 Paleontology Water Resources Engineering in Karst 60 Greg McDonald Geologic Resource Divison Article National Park Service P.O. Box 25287 Preservation of prehistoric footprints in Jaguar Cave, Tennessee Denver, CO 80225 P. Willey, Judy Stolen, George Crothers, and Patty Jo Watson 61 303-969-2821 [email protected] Article Carbonate precipitation along a microclimatic gradient in a Social Sciences Thailand cave - Continuum of calcareous tufa and speleothems Joseph C. Douglas History Department Danko Taboroši, Kazuomi Hirakawa, and Takanobu Sawagaki 69 Volunteer State Community College 1480 Nashville Pike Editorial Gallatin, TN 37066 New “Forum” for Authors 615-230-3241 Malcolm S. Field 88 [email protected] Book Reviews The Journal of Cave and Karst Studies (ISSN 1090-6924, CPM Number #40065056) is a multi-disciplinary, refereed journal published three times a year by the National Speleological Society, 2813 Cave Avenue, Huntsville, Alabama Arthur N. Palmer & Margaret V. Palmer 35810-4431 USA; (256) 852-1300; FAX (256) 851-9241, e-mail: [email protected]; World Wide Web: Department of Earth Sciences http://www.caves.org/pub/journal/. The annual subscription fee, worldwide, by surface mail, is $18 US. Airmail deliv- State University of New York Oneonta, NY 13820-4015 ery outside the United States of both the NSS News and the Journal of Cave and Karst Studies is available for an addi- 607-432-6024 tional fee of $40 (total $58); The Journal of Cave and Karst Studies is not available alone by airmail. Back issues and [email protected] cumulative indices are available from the NSS office. POSTMASTER: send address changes to the Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, 2813 Cave Avenue, Huntsville, Alabama 35810-4431 USA. Proofreader Donald G. Davis The Journal of Cave and Karst Studies is covered the the following ISI Thomson Services: Science Citation Index Expanded, ISI Alerting Services, and Current Contents/Physical, Chemical, and Earth Sciences. JOURNAL ADVISORY BOARD Copyright © 2005 by the National Speleological Society, Inc. Printed on recycled paper by American Web, 4040 Barbara am Ende Hazel A. Barton Dahlia Street, Denver, Colorado 80216 USA Chris Groves Carol Hill Horton Hobbs III David Jagnow Front cover: Reconstruction of Pengelly’s excavations, the Charcoal Cave, Kent’s Cavern. See Donald A. McFarlane and Joyce Lundberg, p. 39. Julia James Kathy Lavoie Joyce Lundberg Paolo Forti - Genetic processes of cave minerals in volcanic environments: An overview. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, v. 67, no. 1, p. 3-13. GENETIC PROCESSES OF CAVE MINERALS IN VOLCANIC ENVIRONMENTS: AN OVERVIEW PAOLO FORTI Italian Institute of Speleology, University of Bologna, via Zamboni 67, 40126 Bologna, ITALY [email protected] Volcanic caves have been considered of little mineralogic interest until recent years. As a consequence, very few papers have been printed on this topic in the past. In reality volcanic cavities are a very favor- able environment for the development of different minerogenetic processes. Cave minerals actually pre- sent in volcanic environments constitute up to 40% of secondary chemical deposits found in all the caves of the world, and 35 of them (corresponding to ~10% of the actually known cave minerals) are restrict- ed to such a environment. In the present paper, the six minerogenetic mechanisms active in the volcanic caves (degassing, solubilization, alteration, karst process, biogenic activity, phase change) are described following the decrease of cave temperature. The genesis of some of the most important secondary chem- ical deposits is discussed and a tentative list of the most interesting volcanic caves for hosted speleothems is given. Volcanic caves are widespread in the world and are active- number of different elements present inside the lava itself, ly explored by cavers so it is common to find descriptions of allow for the development of a great variety of cave minerals the exploration, speleogenesis and morphology of these caves (some tens of which are restricted to a volcanic environment). in the literature. However, the accurate study of the Even if only a few volcanic caves have been specifically stud- speleothems hosted by these caves is rather new because, until ied from the mineralogical point of view, some of them are recently, lava tubes and other volcanic cavities have been con- among the most interesting caves of the world for their hosted sidered of little interest from the point of view of secondary speleothems. minerals (Forti 1994). Most volcanic caves allow for the devel- The present paper presents an update on the minerogenetic opment of only a few small speleothems apart from lava sta- mechanisms active in a volcanic environment (Forti 2000) and lactites and stalagmites, which normally cannot be considered it an overview of those minerals which are presently restricted as true cave formations (Hill & Forti 1997). to such an environment. Lastly, the most important volcanic The first written report of minerals found in a volcanic caves in the world for the hosted speleothems are discussed. cave appeared only at the end of the 18th century, some one hundred years later than the first descriptions of speleothems MINEROGENETIC MECHANISMS IN THE VOLCANIC ENVIRONMENT in limestone caves (Shaw 1997). Lazzaro Spallanzani in his renowned “Viaggio alle Due Sicilie” (1792-97) first wrote of Despite the general scarcity of secondary chemical minerals he found in Alum Cave in the Vulcano Island: deposits, volcanic caves host up to six active minerogenetic mechanisms (Table 1; Fig. 1). The first two are absolutely “…but the most interesting object is a natur- peculiar to this environment; in fact, in the early stages of their al cave…from which a column of smoke con- development the extremely different environmental conditions tinuously exits…Sublimated sulphur gives that exist inside them allow for the activation of different rise to conical yellow to pink stalactites up to processes which are practically controlled by the temperature 3 feet long and two inch thick. …Some water of the cave atmosphere. In the time that passes as the lava springs out from the cave wall giving rise to walls cool, the active process changes, and therefore the chem- some deposits over the lava beds…consisting ical composition as well as the morphology of the resulting of stalactitic alum…sometimes with ammoni- speleothems are quite different. The first place where such an um chloride…Deposits of iron sulphate are evolution was experimentally demonstrated was the Cutrona fairly common…” lava tube on Mt. Etna (Forti et al. 1994). Here, the cave climate and the evolution of speleothems were monitored since the After this first paper only a few others were printed up to cave’s discovery (some 8–10 months after the end of the erup- the middle of the 20th century (Recupero 1815; Sava 1842; tion which generated the cave) until its internal temperature Scacchi 1850; Ulrich 1870; Mac Ivor 1887; Bellini 1901; was no longer in equilibrium with the external environment. Zambonini 1907). This study demonstrated that the evolution of secondary chem- However, within the last 10 years it has become increas- ical deposits may start as soon as the lava stops flowing, and ingly clear that volcanic cavities are one of the most important maybe even earlier, when the temperature inside the cave is cave environments in which minerogenetic reactions can take still extremely high. place (Forti 1994). The peculiar physicochemical conditions, which dramatically change from the early stages of lava tube formation to the maturity of the cavity, together with the high Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, April 2005 • 3 GENETIC PROCESSES OF CAVE MINERALS IN VOLCANIC ENVIRONMENTS Figure 1. Minerogenetic sketch for cave minerals forming inside volcanic caves (after Forti, 2000). Table 1. Temperature range, process, minerogenetic mechanisms and related chemical deposits in volcanic caves (after Forti, 2000, modied).