Cave & Karst Science (ISSN 1356-191X)

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Contents of Cave & Karst Science 45(3)

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Cave and Karst Science (iv + 44pp) (PDF 6.3MB)        Individual articles may be available below

GUNN, John and David LOWE (eds.). (2018). Cave and Karst Science 45(3). Buxton: British Cave Research Association. ISSN 1356-191X. iv + 44pp, A4, with photos, maps and diagrams.
This issue has a cover date of 2018 (December) and was published in December 2018.

The Transactions of the British Cave Research Association

Front cover photo (page i) (PDF 327KB)     

by Rob EAVIS.
Calcite cascade in Moss Chamber – Peak Cavern. The entrance pool is at the bottom left of the frame. (Photo: Rob Eavis).

 

Notes for Contributors (page ii) (PDF 267KB)     

 

Contents (p97) (PDF 289KB)     

 

Editorial (p98) (PDF 186KB)     

by David LOWE and John GUNN.

 

Vale: Melvyn (Mel) Gascoyne, 1948–2018 (pp99-100) (PDF 607KB)     

by Chas YONGE and Tony WALTHAM.
Classification: Feature.

Bibliograph: YONGE, Chas and Tony WALTHAM. (2018). Vale: Melvyn (Mel) Gascoyne, 1948–2018. Cave and Karst Science 45(3), pp99-100.

 

Distribution of tufa and speleothem deposits on the island of Lismore, Argyll, Scotland (pp101-110) (PDF 2.4MB)     

by Trevor FAULKNER and John CRAE.
Tufa deposits are rare in Scotland. This paper reports the distribution of deposits of cool freshwater tufa, which are ubiquitous on the calcareous island of Lismore in Loch Linnhe, Argyll. They occur there in several morphological varieties and locations, some being exotic and rarely reported in Britain or more widely. In particular, the tufa commonly occurs in a coastal environment, where it can form distinctive terraced mounds resembling cave gour pools, but with associated plant growth. Many indentations, fracture openings and short, probably hybrid karstic / marine, littoral caves have also formed on raised shore platforms, especially on the west coast of Lismore. These commonly contain stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones or pillars at entrances and in the daylight zone, some appearing remarkably massive. Thin deposits of tufa were also observed on the cliffs of the west coast. Speleothems resembling tufa deposits occur in the daylight zone of some of the larger littoral caves. A single example of a deposit of calcite pearls in the open air in front of a carbonate cliff has morphological and likely genetic affinities to deposits of cave pearls.
Classification: Paper.
Date: Received: 27 September 2018; Accepted: 05 November 2018.

Bibliograph: FAULKNER, Trevor and John CRAE. (2018). Distribution of tufa and speleothem deposits on the island of Lismore, Argyll, Scotland. Cave and Karst Science 45(3), pp101-110.

 

Speleo-fiction: its contribution to the death of Louis MacNeice (1907–1963) (pp111-112) (PDF 649KB)     

by Stephen CRAVEN.
It appears likely that the early death of the celebrated poet, playright and radio producer Louis MacNeice might have been accelerated by the effects of immersion in an underground stream in the Yorkshire Dales.
Classification: Report.
Date: Received: 19 June 2018; Accepted: 29 October 2018.

Bibliograph: CRAVEN, Stephen. (2018). Speleo-fiction: its contribution to the death of Louis MacNeice (1907–1963). Cave and Karst Science 45(3), pp111-112.

 

A description of Peak Cavern, Derbyshire, by Édouard-Alfred Martel: a translation (pp113-117) (PDF 905KB)     

by Tony REYNOLDS.
In 1895 Édouard-Alfred Martel, having explored many cave systems on the Continent, made a visit to Ireland and England. He visited and assessed a number of caves scientifically, most notably making the first complete descent of Gaping Gill in Yorkshire. He later published an account of his exploits in his book Irlande et Cavernes Anglaises, published in 1897. This article presents a modern translation into English of the book's Chapter XVIII, in which he describes his activities at Peak Cavern in the Derbyshire Peak District.
Classification: Feature.
Date: Received: 11 July 2018; Accepted: 09 October 2018.

Bibliograph: REYNOLDS, Tony. (2018). A description of Peak Cavern, Derbyshire, by Édouard-Alfred Martel: a translation. Cave and Karst Science 45(3), pp113-117.

 

A description of Peak Cavern, Derbyshire, by Édouard-Alfred Martel: a translation (pp S1-S13) (PDF 821KB)     

Online supplement to above paper.
Initially it had been hoped to present the translation in a format as close as possible to that of Martel's original French publication, but this has not been practicable. Hence, this supplement comprises an alternative layout using a typeface that mimics the one used by Martel, and with the text and illustrations sized and placed as closely as possible to how they were presented in his original version.

 

Comments on the description of Peak Cavern by Martel (1897) (pp118-120) (PDF 715KB)     

by John GUNN.
To complement a new translation of his work, some of the observations and deductions made by É-A Martel in 1897 relating to Peak Cavern in the Derbyshire Peak District are revisited and discussed in the light of more recent knowledge.
Classification: Report.
Date: Received: 24 September 2018; Accepted: 04 November 2018.

Bibliograph: GUNN, John. (2018). Comments on the description of Peak Cavern by Martel (1897). Cave and Karst Science 45(3), pp118-120.

 

Description of well-preserved, but fragmentary, millipedes from the Red Hills Road Cave, Jamaica (Late Pleistocene) (pp121-127) (PDF 1.2MB)     

by Jelle A DERCKSEN and Stephen K DONOVAN.
The Red Hills Road Cave (RHRC) of Jamaica contains many millipede fossils: Chondrotropis sp., Rhinocricus spp., Caraibodesmus verrucosus (Pocock), and Haplocyclodesmus sp. cf. H. porcellanus (Pocock) have been identified hitherto. The RHRC is about 40,000 to 25,000 years old, and is filled with unlithified sediment composed of a mixture of terra rossa and limestone clasts, making it an excellent environment for carbonate mineralization of calcitic fossils. Since the initial publication 25 years ago, little has been added to our knowledge of the mode of preservation of the millipedes. In the present study, nine specimens have been observed by revisiting scanning electron microscopy. Observed structures include segmentation, legs, mouth parts, antennae and anal plates. Smaller external structures, such as ozopores and spiracles, have been lost under calcitic deposits. Whilst in the RHRC these millipedes were presumably exposed to unstable levels of overburden whilst covered by sediment, but this has not caused a noticeable deterioration of specimens. The quality of the preserved specimens is generally good, albeit fragmentary.
Classification: Paper.
Date: 05 September 2018; Accepted: 15 November 2018.
Keywords: taphonomy, Oxygen Isotope Stage 3, Chondrotropis, Caraibodesmus, Rhinocricus, Haplocyclodesmus.

Bibliograph: DERCKSEN, Jelle A and Stephen K DONOVAN. (2018). Description of well-preserved, but fragmentary, millipedes from the Red Hills Road Cave, Jamaica (Late Pleistocene). Cave and Karst Science 45(3), pp121-127.

 

Lampenflora of Lipska Cave, Montenegro (pp128-133) (PDF 774KB)     

by Svetlana E MAZINA and Ekaterina V KOZLOVA.
The composition of phototrophic and microfungal communities in the Lipska show cave has been studied. Species were identified from 12 areas containing visible lampenflora, localized throughout the cave, and from 8 sites within the illuminated zone of the cave's natural entrance. Relative occurrence and relative abundance were calculated for the species detected. In total 29 phototrophic species were identified, including 17 species of algae and cyanobacteria, and 12 bryophyte species. Cyanobacteria were the dominant group of phototrophs within the composition of the lampenflora communities. Leptolyngbya tenuis and Gloeocapsa compacta dominated in the lampenflora communities, whereas L. tenuis and Chroococcus minutus had the highest abundance in the natural entrance zone. The dominant species of green algae both in the natural entrance zone and within the lampenflora communities were Stichococcus bacillaris and Chlorella vulgaris. Fissidens taxifolius and Brachythecium tommasinii dominated in the composition of the lampenflora communities, while Entodon schleicheri and Tortella sp. had the highest abundance in the natural entrance zone. Additionally, 19 species of microfungi were identified, with Penicillium chrysogenum and P. purpurascens considered as the dominant species in the composition of the lampenflora, with P. simplicissimum and Fusarium solani dominating in the natural entrance zone. It is presumed that the further development of lampenflora communities should proceed in line with an increase in the number of mosses.
Classification: Report.
Date: 21 July 2018; Accepted: 18 October 2018.

Bibliograph: MAZINA, Svetlana E and Ekaterina V KOZLOVA. (2018). Lampenflora of Lipska Cave, Montenegro. Cave and Karst Science 45(3), pp128-133.

 

Book Review (p133) (PDF 359KB)     

William R Elliott, 2018. The Astyanax Caves of Mexico: Cavefishes of Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, and Guerrero. Association for Mexican Cave Studies, Bulletin 26.
Classification: Forum.

 

29th BCRA Cave Science Symposium. 13 October 2018. University of Bristol (pp134-140) (PDF 997KB)     

Welcome (Prof. John Gunn), and abstracts of the oral and poster presentations.
Classification: Forum.

 

Research Fund and Grants (page iii) (PDF 242KB)     

 

Back cover photos (page iv) (PDF 261KB)     

by Rob EAVIS and Jerry WOOLDRIDGE.
The Peak–Speedwell cave system at Castleton in the Derbyshire White Peak. (See contents page for photo captions).