0000000000220764
AUTHOR
Didier Cailhol
Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu (71640) La Mourandine, les Vignes du Château Beau, parcelle Size Rapport de fouille programmée 2017
Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu located in the "Cote Chalonnaise" in Burgundy, is an important place for the archaelogy of the Paleolithic period. This report present the geological context of this area and the geomorphological evolution of the Vallée des Vaux.
L'impact méconnu des chauves-souris et du guano dans l'évolution morphologique tardive des cavernes
The little known impact of bats and bat guano in the late stages of cave morphogenesis. Bats are considered as symbolic caves inhabitants. The colonies, sometimes huge, may occupy caves through long periods. Large guano deposits were accumulated. Some have been mined for phosphates, either by hand or at the industrial scale. Bats impact is triple: breathing releases CO2, urine is corrosive, and guano mineralization releases acids (carbonic, nitric, sulfuric, and phosphoric). Such aggressive compounds have an effect on carbonate rock and flowstones, either by direct ground corrosion at the contact of the guano, or by condensation-corrosion on walls and ceilings. The speleogenetic impact of t…
Guano-related phosphate-rich minerals in European caves
International audience; Guano is a typical deposit found in caves derived from the excretions of bats and in minor cases of birds. These organic deposits decompose and form a series of acid fluids and gases that can interact with the minerals, sediments, and rocks present in the cave. Over sixty phosphates are known and described from caves, but guano decay also often leads to the formation of nitrates and sulfates. In this study twenty-two European caves were investigated for their guano-related secondary minerals. Using various analytical techniques, seventeen phosphates, along with one sulfate (gypsum), were recognized as secondary products of guano decay. Among those minerals, some are …