RESEARCH PAPER
Evolution of Brestovská Cave Based on U-Series Dating of Speleothems
1
Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warsaw, Poland
2
Institute of Geological Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Oleandry 2a, 30-063 Cracow, Poland
3
Administration of Slovak Caves, Hodžova 11, 031 01 Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia
Online publication date: 2009-03-27
Publication date: 2008-01-01
Geochronometria 2008;32:1-12
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
The U-series dating indicates five episodes of flowstone growth in Brestovská Cave, namely: ca. 200 ka, ca. 128-88 ka, ca. 82-65 ka, ca. 64-50 ka, and during the Holocene. The age of flowstones and their spatial distribution within the cave prove that the upper storey of the cave was dewatered before 200 ka. At that time the lower storey also existed and was able to carry the whole water flowing through the cave. It suggests that 200 ka ago the water-table was at similar level as it is at present. Hence, one should accept that the valley bottom was then also at the present level. During at least a part of the MIS 6 the growth of speleothems was possible in the cave. It suggests that the cave was located outside the permafrost zone then. Between 50 ka and Holocene, Brestovská Cave was flooded by invasion waters originating from the melting of the Würm glacier; the water-table was additionally raised due to the blockage of a resurgence by glacifluvial sediments. The flooding event caused the destruction of older deposits, including speleothems, and deposition of fine-grained clastics on the cave walls.
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