Abstract
A systemic study was conducted to understand the links between the host rock, water, and speleothems of Xueyu Cave in Southwestern China. An outcrop section of the host rock of Xueyu Cave was surveyed, the stratum that the host rock belongs to was subdivided into 11 lithofacies, and the Xueyu Cave is developed in the grainstone facies segment. Lithological characteristics and chemical components of the host rock indicate that its predominant mineral component is low magnesium calcite (LMC). To understand the hydrochemical characteristics of percolating water in Xueyu Cave, three drip water monitoring sites were taken to collect water samples for a whole monsoon year. The temperature (T), pH, electronic conductivity (EC), drip rate, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Ba2+, Sr2+, HCO3 −, SO4 2−, NO3 −, Cl−, partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2), saturation indexes, and precipitation rate of carbonate minerals were investigated monthly. The data reveals that the pH, EC, drip rate, Ca2+, Mg2+, HCO3 −, pCO2, saturation indexes, and precipitation rate of carbonate minerals exhibit seasonal variation; these are due to the seasonal change of precipitation and soil CO2 concentration that are driven by monsoon climate. The petrological and geochemical characteristics of speleothems were also investigated, and results indicate that the main chemical and mineral components of speleothems are quite similar to the host rock; this is because the main material source of drip water and speleothems are governed by the host rock. This study reveals the main mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of host rock and speleothems, further discussing the seasonal variation of hydrochemical indexes of drip water. All these works will be helpful to more thoroughly understand the operation regularity of karst dynamic system (KDS) of the Xueyu Cave.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bar-Matthews M, Matthews A, Ayalon A (1991) Environmental controls of speleothem mineralogy in a karstic dolomitic terrain (Soreq Cave, Israel). J Geol 99(2):189–207
Cacchio P, Contento R, Ercole C, Cappuccio G, Martinez MP, Lepidi A (2004) Involvement of microorganisms in the formation of carbonate speleothems in the Cervo Cave (L’Aquila-Italy). Geomicrobiol J 21:497–509
Cai B, Zhu J, Ban F, Tan M (2011) Intra-annual variation of the calcite deposition rate of drip water in Shihua Cave, Beijing, China and its implications for palaeoclimatic reconstructions. Boreas 40(3):525–535. doi:10.1111/j.1502-3885.2010.00201.x
Choudens-Sanchez VD, Gonzalez LA (2009) Calcite and aragonite precipitation under controlled instantaneous supersaturation: elucidating the role of CaCO3 saturation state and Mg/Ca ratio on calcium carbonate polymorphism. J Sediment Res 79:363–376
Contos AK, James JM, Heywood B, Pitt K, Rogers P (2001) Morphoanalysis of bacterially precipitated subaqueous calcium carbonate from Weebubbie Cave, Australia. Geomicrobiol J 18:331–343
Davis KJ, Dove PM, Wasylenki LE, De-Yore JJ (2004) Morphological consequences of differential Mg2+ incorporation at structurally distinct steps on calcite. Am Mineral 89:714–720, 0003-004X/04/0506-714
Fairchild IJ, Borsato A, Tooth AF, Frisia S, Hawkesworth CJ, Huang Y, McDermott F, Spiro B (2000) Controls on trace element (Sr-Mg) compositions of carbonate cave waters: implications for speleothem climatic records. Chem Geol 166:255–269
Folk RL (1974) The natural history of crystalline calcium carbonate: effect of magnesium content and salinity. J Sediment Petrol 44(1):40–53
Ford DC, Williams PW (2007) Karst hydrogeology and geomorphology. John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, 562 p
Forti P (2001) Biogenic speleothems: an overview. Int J Speleol 30(A (1/4)):39–56
Frisia S, Borsato A, Fairchild IJ, Mcdermott F, Selmo EM (2002) Aragonite-calcite relationships in speleothems (Grotte de Clamouse, France): environment, fabrics, and carbonate geochemistry. J Sediment Res 72(5):687–699
Gascoyne M (1983) Trace element partition coefficients in the calcite–water system and their paleoclimatic significance in cave studies. J Hydrol 61:213–222
Gibbs RJ (1970) Mechanisms controlling world water chemistry. Science 170(3963):1088–1090
Gonzalez LA, Lohmann KC (1987) Controls on mineralogy and composition of spelean carbonates: Carlsbad Cavern, New Mexico. In: James NP, Choquette PW (eds) Paleokarst. Springer, New York, pp 81–101
Holland HD, Kirsipu TW, Huebner JS, Oxburgh UM (1964) On some aspects of the chemical evolution of cave waters. J Geol 72:36–67
Huang S (2010) Carbonate diagenesis. Geological Publish House, Beijing, 288p (in Chinese)
Huang S, Zhang M, Sun S, Hu Z, Wu S, Pei C (2006) Age calibration of carbonate samples from the Triassic Feixianguan Formation, Well Luojia 2, Eastern Sichuan by strontium isotope stratigraphy. J Chengdu Univ Technol (Sci Technol Ed) 33(2):111–116 (in Chinese with English abstract)
Huang S, Qing H, Huang P, Hu Z, Wang Q, Zou M, Liu H (2008) Evolution of strontium isotopic composition of seawater from Late Permian to Early Triassic based on study of marine carbonates, Zhongliang Mountain, Chongqing, China. Sci China Ser D Earth Sci 51(4):528–539
Lahann RW (1978) A chemical model for calcite crystal growth and morphology control. J Sediment Petrol 48(1):337–344
Longman MW (1980) Carbonate diagenetic textures from nearsurface diagenetic environments. AAPG Bull 64(4):461–487
Moore GW (1952) Speleothem—a new cave term. Natl Speleol Soc News 10(6):2
Musgrove M, Banner JL (2004) Controls on the spatial and temporal variability of vadose dripwater geochemistry: Edwards aquifer, central Texas. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 68:1007–1020
Onac BP, Forti P (2011a) State of the art and challenges in cave minerals studies. Studia UBB Geol 56(1):33–42
Onac BP, Forti P (2011b) Minerogenetic mechanisms occurring in the cave environment: an overview. Int J Speleol 40(2):79–98
Oster JL, Montanez IP, Kelley NP (2012) Response of a modern cave system to large seasonal precipitation variability. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 91:92–108
Parkhurst DL, Appelo CAJ (1999) User’s guide to PHREEQC (version 2)—a computer program for speciation, batch-reaction, one-dimensional transport, and inverse geochemical calculations. USGS, Water-Resources Investigations Report 99–4259: 326p. http://www.xs4all.nl/~appt/index.html
Piper AM (1944) A graphic procedure in the geochemical interpretation of water-analyses. Am Geophys Union 25(6):914–928. doi:10.1029/TR025i006p00914
Pu J, Shen L, Wang A, He Q, Yuan W, Hu Z, Chen B, He Y (2009) Space-time variation of hydro-geochemistry index of the Xueyu cave system in Fengdu county, Chongqing. Carsologica Sin 28(1):49–54 (in Chinese with English abstract)
Scholle PA, Ulmer-Scholle DS (2003) A color guide to the petrology of carbonate rocks: grains, textures, porosity, diagenesis. Published by The American Association of Petroleum Geologists Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.A.: 461p
Self CA, Hill CA (2003) How speleothems grow: an introduction to the ontogeny of cave minerals. J Cave Karst Stud 65(2):130–151
Spotl C, Fairchild IJ, Tooth AF (2005) Cave air control on dripwater geochemistry, Obir Caves (Austria): implications for speleothem deposition in dynamically ventilated caves. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 69(10):2451–2468
Stanley SM, Ries JB, Hardie LA (2002) Low-magnesium calcite produced by coralline algae in seawater of Late Cretaceous composition. PNAS 99(24):15323–15326
Tămas T, Kristály F, Barbu-Tudoran L (2011) Mineralogy of Iza Cave (Rodnei Mountains, N. Romania). Int J Speleol 40(2):171–179
Thrailkill J (1971) Carbonate deposition in Carlsbad caverns. J Geol 79:683–695
Toran L, Roman E (2006) CO2 outgassing in a combined fracture and conduit karst aquifer near Lititz Spring, Pennsylvania. Geol Soc Am Spec Pap 404(23):275–282
Wang Z, Zhang J, Li T, Xie G, Ma Z (2010) Structural analysis of multi-layer detachment folding in eastern Sichuan Province. Acta Geol Sin 84(3):479–514
Wang Z, Zhang J, Li T, Zhou X, Ma Z, Tang L, Xiao W, Yan X (2012) Structural traps in detachment folds: a case study from comb- and trough-like deformation zones, east Sichuan, China. Acta Geol Sin 86(4):828–841
Xu S, Yin J, Wang X, Yang P, Mao H, Shen L (2012) Impact of seasonal karstfication on the precipitation rate of cave sediments: a case study of the underground river system of the Xueyu Cave, Chongqing. Trop Geogr 32(5):481–486
Yuan D, Liu Z, Lin Y, Shen J, He S, Xu S, Yang L, Li B, Qing J, Cai W, Cao J, Zhang M, Jiang Z, Zhao J (2002) Karst dynamic system of China. Geological Publish House, Beijing, 275p. (in Chinese)
Zharkov MA, Chumakov NM (2001) Paleogeography and sedimentation settings during Permian–Triassic reorganizations in biosphere. Stratigr Geol Correl 9(4):340–363
Zhu X, Zhang Y, Han D, Wen R, Chen B (2004) Cave characteristics and speleothems in Xueyu cave group, Fengdu, Chongqing City. Carsologica Sin 23(2):85–90 (in Chinese with English abstract)
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Prof. Daoxian Yuan at the Institute of Karst Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and Prof. Zaihua Liu at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, for they gave some crucial comments and advices on this study. The authors are also grateful to the teachers and students of the Laboratory of Isotopic Geochemistry, Southwest University, for their help with the analysis. This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41272135, No. 41302213, and No. 41302023); Karst Dynamics Laboratory, Ministry of Land and Resources, China; and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China (Grant No. KDL2011-04).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wu, K., Shen, L., Zhang, T. et al. Links between host rock, water, and speleothems of Xueyu Cave in Southwestern China: lithology, hydrochemistry, and carbonate geochemistry. Arab J Geosci 8, 8999–9013 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-1876-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-1876-6