Search results for "Hypogenic cave"
showing 7 items of 7 documents
An Overview of the Hypogene Caves of Sicily
2017
Karst in Sicily develops in both Messinian gypsum and Mesozoic or Tertiary limestone rocks. Caves are also found in the basalts of Mount Etna. Except for some rare cases, until recently most caves developed in limestone were considered to be of epigenetic origin. The discovery of gypsum in some of these caves, and especially detailed morphological studies, have allowed defining a hypogenic origin for a dozen of caves up to now. In some of these, the hypogenic evidences are very clear, while others remain in doubt because of the widespread presence of well-developed condensation-corrosion morphologies not necessarily related to hydrothermal fluids. This paper reports the present knowledge of…
Acqua Fitusa cave: An example of inactive water-table sulphuric acid cave in Central Sicily
2012
Description of the sulphuric acid cave in Sicily (see pdf attached)
Hypogenic caves in Sicily: a preliminary study of morphological and depositional features
2012
Hypogenic caves of Sicily (Southern Italy)
2013
First results of a study on hypogenic caves in Sicily are presented. Inactive water-table sulphuric acid caves and 3D maze caves linked to rising of thermal waters rich in H2S were recognized. Cave patterns are guided by structural planes, medium and small scale morphological features are due mainly to condensation-corrosion processes. Calcite and gypsum represent the most common cave minerals. Different types of phosphates linked to the presence of large bat guano deposits were analyzed.
Secondary Minerals From Italian Sulfuric Acid Caves
2017
Italy is a country hosting a large number of hypogenic sulfuric acid (SAS) speleogenesis caves, mostly located along the Apennine chain, but also in Campania (along the coastline of Capo Palinuro), Apulia (along the coastline of Santa Cesarea Terme) and Sicily. Besides the typical morphologies related to their special geochemical origin (cupolas, replacement pockets, bubble trails, etc), these caves often host abundant secondary mineral deposits, mainly gypsum, being the result of the interaction between the sulfuric acid and the carbonate host rock. Native sulfur deposits are also well visible on the ceiling and roof, and peculiar sulfuric acid minerals such as jarosite, alunite, and other…
Sulfuric acid water table caves (Grotte du Chat / Acqua Fitusa /Bad Deutsch Altenburg + Kraushöhle).
2014
Sulfuric acid caves can display a variety of forms, from 3D maze systems, to isolated chambers, and more or less maze-like water table caves. Most of the voids are normally generated at or immediately above the water table, where condensation-corrosion processes are dominant, creating a set of characteristic meso- and micromorphologies. This paper deals with the description of four very typical sulfuric acid water table caves: the Grotte du Chat in Provence (France), the Acqua Fitusa Cave in Sicily (Italy), and the Bad Deutsch Altenburg and Kraushöhle caves in Austria.
The Coastal Sulfuric Acid Cave System of Santa Cesarea Terme (Southern Italy)
2017
Santa Cesarea Terme in Salento is the only area in which hypogenic caves have been recognized in the Apulia region. In this spa area, the rising of sulfidic thermal waters that mix with both recent fresh infiltration waters and coastal salt water has formed four active sulfuric acid speleogenesis (SAS) caves. These caves are characterized by the typical set of sulfuric acid meso- and micromorphologies, and also by the presence of both gypsum and native sulfur. In all caves, biofilms are visible in the sulfidic thermal waters and on the cave walls.