Mode of formation of cryogenic cave carbonates: Experimental evidence from an Alpine ice cave

Spötl, Christoph; Koltai, Gabriella; Dublyansky, Yuri

doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2023.121712

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…DIC of a sample (ERW-B) taken from the water coming from the Alphorn shaft yielded 95.2 ± 0.5% pmC, which indicates a low dead carbon effect (4.8%) and a small reservoir age (395 ± 42 14 C yr). CCC formed experimentally in small pools in Eispalast 33 yielded conventional radiocarbon ages of 356 ± 20 BP (sample L1-1, using water from the Alphorn shaft) and 511 ± 19 BP (samples L2-2, using water from the Elefant site—Fig. 1 , Table 1 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The dead carbon effect was assessed using radiocarbon analyses of modern CCC and DIC and compared to less precise constraints provided by 230 Th dating. The radiocarbon dates of two modern CCC samples formed in the nearby Eispalast (356 ± 20 BP and 511 ± 19 BP) differ somewhat, reflecting the different water sources used for the two freezing experiments 33 . Such small radiocarbon variabilities of DIC are not uncommon in caves 38 , 39 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These experiments were designed to simulate the formation of pool-type subaqueous CCC and water from different places in the cave was used. The resulting CCC were fine grained 33 and two bulk samples were analyzed for radiocarbon. CCC sample L1-1 was formed by freezing of water obtained from the Alphorn shaft, while water from a site called Elefant (Fig.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

First insights into the age of the giant ice deposits in the Eisriesenwelt cave (Austria)

Spötl,

Fohlmeister,

Reimer

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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Frozen water is the most widespread type of ice present in ice caves and forms ice stalagmites and stalactites as well as floor ice, which is often several meters thick. Organic macroremains are commonly rare in this type of cave ice, which makes it difficult to establish a chronology and severely limits the use of such ice deposits as paleoenvironmental archives. Here, the chronology of such ice deposits in the inner part of the glaciated Eisriesenwelt, one of the world’s largest ice caves located in the European Alps of Austria, is determined by a combination of radiocarbon and 230Th dating of cryogenic calcite. The data suggest that this cave ice has formed over the last three millennia, with a marked increase in the average accumulation rate during the thirteenth century, coinciding with the onset of the Little Ice Age in the Alps. Data from a second site closer to the entrance suggests that large parts of this tourist cave were likely ice-free during the Medieval Warm Period and that a substantial part of the ice is probably a relic of the Little Ice Age. The current warming has already penetrated deeper into the cave than during the Medieval Warm Period, although air exchange during the warm season is restricted by a door at the cave entrance.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

First insights into the age of the giant ice deposits in the Eisriesenwelt cave (Austria)

Spötl,

Fohlmeister,

Reimer

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

Self Cite

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Bacterial diversity and geomicrobiology of Winter Wonderland ice cave, Utah, USA

Seixas,

Munroe,

Eggleston

2024

MicrobiologyOpen

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The Winter Wonderland ice cave, located at an elevation of 3140 m above sea level in the Uinta Mountains of northern Utah, USA, maintains a constant sub‐zero temperature. Seasonal snowmelt and rain enter the cave, freeze on the surface of the existing ice, and contribute to a 3‐m‐thick layered ice mass. This ice mass contains organic matter and cryogenic cave carbonates (CCCs) that date back centuries. In this study, samples of ice, liquid water, and exposed CCCs were collected to examine the bacterial communities within the cave and to determine if these communities vary spatially and between sample types. Flow cytometry showed that cell counts are an order of magnitude higher in liquid water samples than in ice. Epifluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy imaging revealed potential coccoid and bacillus microbial morphologies in water samples and putative cells or calcite spherules in the CCCs. The diversity of bacteria associated with soil, identified through sequence‐based analysis, supports the hypothesis that water enters the cave by filtering through soil and bedrock. A differential abundance of bacterial taxa was observed between sample types, with the greatest diversity found in CCCs. This supports a geomicrobiological framework where microbes aggregate in the water, sink into a concentrated layer, and precipitate out of the ice with the CCCs, thereby reducing the cell counts in the ice. These CCCs may provide essential nutrients for the bacteria or could themselves be products of biomineralization.

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Cryogenic cave carbonates

Dublyansky,

Moseley,

Koltai

et al. 2025

Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science

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Mode of formation of cryogenic cave carbonates: Experimental evidence from an Alpine ice cave

Cited by 6 publications

References 25 publications

First insights into the age of the giant ice deposits in the Eisriesenwelt cave (Austria)

First insights into the age of the giant ice deposits in the Eisriesenwelt cave (Austria)

Bacterial diversity and geomicrobiology of Winter Wonderland ice cave, Utah, USA

Cryogenic cave carbonates

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