Cave and Karst Science Logo

Volume 30(3), 2003

BCRA > Publications > Cave & Karst Science> Contents

Scroll down for Editorial | Papers | Reports | Forum | Thesis Abstracts

Front cover
  • Speleogenesis and mineral veins, Derbyshire, UK
  • LIDAR survey of the Peak Cavern Vestibule
  • Bird observations in the karsts of Belize
  • Sariot Polje, Central Taurus, Turkey
  • Karst and caves in Madagascar
  • BCRA Symposium abstracts
  • Forum

Cover photo by Paul Deakin, © reserved:
The entrance of Peak Cavern ("The Devil's Arse"), Castleton, Derbyshire, is the largest cave entrance in the British Isles. A 3D digital CAD model of the entrance chamber (the Vestibule) was presented in Cave and Karst Science Vol. 29 (2), and the results of a re-survey of the Vestibule using ground LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) equipment is reported in the present issue. In the foreground are the rope-walk benches, which date back over 400 years, and a rope making demonstration forms part of the present day show-cave tour. Water from the cave discharges via an underflow spring, but in times of flood the waters back up and flow down the channel at the bottom right of the photograph.

Editorial

(Gunn, J. & D. Lowe (eds))
Editorial
Vol 30 (3) pp 99 - 100
As some readers will have noted, Issue 30 (2) represented a departure from our norm - there was an almost complete absence of full stops! It appears that this problem was caused by over-sensitive settings on the scanning software used by our printing company. The software decided that full stops and decimal points were specks of "dirt" and filtered them out before the printing plates were produced. The omission was not picked up on the proofs either by the Editor, who believed that the pre-approved "camera-ready" text would be reproduced faithfully, or by the printers themselves.

We apologize to all our readers and, more particularly, to the authors of the four papers that appeared in the Issue. To reprint and redistribute a full run of more than a thousand copies would involve an unreasonable expense, not least in the postage. However, the printers have agreed to produce a limited print run of corrected copies. These will enable us to re-supply the authors with acceptable off-prints of their publications, and we will then be pleased to distribute any surplus copies on request, on a "first come first served" basis.

In this last Issue of 2003 we look forward to the annual BCRA Cave Science Symposium, abstracts from which are presented in the Forum section. This year there is a very good mix of papers covering archaeology, ecology (bats and bugs) and a wide range of geoscience topics. Talks will describe research in the Caribbean, Ethiopia, France, Spain and Scandinavia, as well as at several sites in Britain, but overall the geographical spread of the British subject matter is less wide than in some previous symposia. The focus is distinctly northern, and it is particularly disappointing that no topics relating directly to research in South Wales or the Mendip Hills will be discussed. We hope that this merely reflects the northern venue of this year's symposium rather than indicating any slowing down of cave and karst research in these fascinating southern areas.

Being the final Issue of the current Volume, we will again thank the various people that have helped us to keep Cave and Karst Science thriving this year. Most obviously of course we are indebted to the many authors, some old hands, some debutant(e)s, who continue to provide interesting material for our consideration. Some authors are prolific in their output while others are taking the first tentative steps in their publishing career, but all their "offerings" are welcomed and appreciated. We are equally indebted to the photographers who continue to provide striking and interesting illustrations for the Journal covers. Some photographs arrive routinely in support of papers and reports, but occasionally we need to solicit appropriate material from among a growing list of accomplished photographers who are prepared to allow our use of their creations. In the case of Volume 30 we thank Dean Smart, Phil Chapman and Paul Deakin for providing a fine choice of relevant images.

As in previous years we have kept up our own role in helping to review those Paper and Report contributions that fall within our individual areas of competence. Nevertheless we remain indebted to an ever-widening circle of individuals who are prepared to give of their valuable time to act as Cave and Karst Science referees. It should be remembered of course that not all manuscripts that undergo the refereeing process actually end up being published, while some others may undergo several potentially extended episodes of revision and reassessment before appearing in print. Thus, in context, we are particularly grateful to those among our reviewers who are called upon several times during the gestation of each Volume of our Journal. This year our combined thanks go specifically to Vanessa Banks, Andrew Chamberlain, David Gillieson, Ken Grimes, Chris Hunt, Alexander Klimchouk, Stein-Erik Lauritzen, Joyce Lundberg, Guiseppe Messana, Bruce Miller, Graham Proudlove, France Sustersic, Peter Styles, Tony Waltham, John Webb and Simon Zisman. Equally, we should not forget but cannot name individually all of those - colleagues and friends of the manuscript authors - whose contribution of early peer review and discussion (commonly acknowledged within the eventual publication) helps to raise the overall quality and interest of most of the material that reaches us.

On the technical side, we once again thank our Desk Top Publishing associate, Rebecca Talbot, for her continuing efforts on our behalf, and for her growing understanding and involvement in the material that we publish and the way that it should be treated. Every submission is, inevitably, different and, depending upon how the text and illustrations are provided, each has its own peculiarities and occasional problems. After some initial shocks and the resultant, necessarily steep, learning curves the DTP aspect of the journal is now proceeding efficiently and at a pleasingly high standard. Our printing needs continue to be met by the Sherwood Press Group, with the direct involvement of their Milford Printers and Gordon Graphics divisions. We particularly thank Steve Summers, Sales Director of the Sherwood Press, for the individual attention he dedicates to our specific requirements and for the highly efficient interface that he provides between his colleagues and ourselves.

Papers

(Day, M.)
Faunal associations with karst landscapes:
a preliminary assessment of bird observations in Belize.
Vol 30 (3) pp 101 - 106
Abstract: The ecological significance of karstlands is a recent focus of studies by karst scientists, and there is growing recognition of the need for a holistic approach to their geo-ecology. The existence of distinctive and significant karstland vegetation communities raises the question of whether there are similar associations between karstlands and their fauna. Karst covers about 5000 Km2 or 22% of Belize's land area. Prior research suggests significant relationships between the karst, its vegetation and its ecology. The avifauna of Belize is diverse and bird records arc readily available. Over 570 species have been reported and more than 350 species breed in ihe country. Over 300 bird species have been identified in the karst, with at least 250 occurring on a regular basis. The karst and the forests associated with it appear to represent an important avifaunal habitat whose conservation is warranted. Other studies in the region reinforce the suggestion that the Belize karst represents a significant bird habitat. Other karst terrains may also represent significant faunal reservoirs and the associations between karstlands and their fauna merit future attention from karst scientists.
Key-words: karst, birds, Belize
(Ford, T.D.)
Speleogenesis in mineral veins in the Carboniferous Limestone around the Stanton Syncline, Derbyshire, UK.
Vol 30 (3) pp 107 - 116
Abstract: Several old lead mines around the Stanton Syncline have "cavernous ground" recorded, particularly the dissolutionally enlarged scrin veins in Mill Close Mine. Whereas most mines are now flooded or inaccessible, available evidence suggests a sequence of at least two phases of dissolution in the phreatic zone, separated by a mineralization episode. The first phase occurred in the deep phreatic zone and was a probable precursor to hydrothermal mineral deposition under a cover of non-calcareous strata some 2 Km thick. The last phase recognized included much later meteoric phreatic zone dissolution, as the cover strata were progressively eroded away. Evidence relating to these phases suggests that at least two reversals of hydraulic gradient took place.
(Dogan, U.)
Sariot Polje, Central Taurus (Turkey):
a border polje developed at the contact of karstic and non-karstic lithologies.
Vol 30 (3) pp 117 - 124
Abstract: Sariot Polje, in the north of the Taurus Mountain range in Turkey, was investigated to determine its formational history. The polje group to which it belongs was established on the basis of its geomorphological and hydrological features. This polje lies in a region that is highly complex structurally and tectonically, within the Taurus Karst Belt. The Sorgun Stream flows towards the northeast along the contact between karstic and non-karstic formations in a valley that formed in the Late Miocene and was affected by tectonic movements during the Late Miocene - Early Pliocene, becoming a blind valley drained by various swallow holes. During the Early Pliocene the blind valley was converted into a polje by lateral karstic corrosion of the Jurassic - Cretaceous limestones. If examined from a geomorphological and hydrological point of view, Sariot Polje, which initially formed at the contact of Eocene karstic and non-karstic rocks, is seen to be a border polje.

Reports

(Middleton, M. & V. Middleton)
Karst and caves in Madagascar:
further observations.
Vol 30 (3) pp 125 - 128
Abstract: Explorations during an extended visit to the Mahafaly, Toliara and other little-visited karst areas in Madagascar revealed new and up-dated information on some caves, including Ankikikymaty (85m deep).
(Westerman, A.R., J.K. Pringle & G. Hunter)
Preliminary LIDAR survey results from Peak Cavern Vestibule, Derbyshire, UK.
Vol 30 (3) pp 129 - 130
Abstract: A third phase of investigation of the Peak Cavern Vestibule, using cutting-edge LIDAR total station equipment, obtained a 16.8 million co-ordinate data point cloud, which was re-sampled into a digitally-rendered, 3-D triangular surface model. Visualisation software allows dynamic viewing of the data model from any angle or orientation, with editing software allowing picking, interpretation and horizon generation of geological features of interest. Model analyses of surface 'en-echelon' joints reveal an anticlinal fold hinge mid-way through the Vestibule. Bedding planes were found to be sub-horizontal but parallel to the Vesiibule main body axis.

A CD-ROM of the data model and IMView visualisation software is freely available on request, contact Robin Westerman.

Forum

Abstracts of the 15th BCRA Cave Science Symposium,
Department of Earth Sciences,
The University of Manchester,
March 2004
Vol 30 (3) pp 131 - 134

Thesis Abstract

(Bichuette, M.E.)
An ichthyofaunistic survey in epigean (surface) and hypogean (subterranean) stream reaches from the Sao Domingos karst area, northeast of Goias, Brasil.
Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociencias - USP, C.P. 11461, 05422-970, Sao Paulo, SP, Brasil
Vol 30 (3) pp 135 - 136

This page created by Dr John D. Wilcock

button Top of Page