Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/2122/4590
Authors: Piccini, L.* 
Zanchetta, G.* 
Drysdale, R. N.* 
Hellstrom, J.* 
Isola, I.* 
Fallick, A. E.* 
Leone, G.* 
Doveri, M.* 
Mussi, M.* 
Mantelli, F.* 
Molli, G.* 
Lotti, L.* 
Roncioni, A.* 
Regattieri, E.* 
Meccheri, M.* 
Vaselli, L.* 
Title: The environmental features of the Monte Corchia cave system (Apuan Alps, Central Italy)
Journal: International Journal of Speleology 
Series/Report no.: 3/37(2008)
Publisher: Speleological Society of Italy
Issue Date: Oct-2008
Keywords: speleothems
karst geomorphology
cave water chemistry
Corchia cave system
Apuan Alps
Central Italy
Subject Classification03. Hydrosphere::03.01. General::03.01.06. Paleoceanography and paleoclimatology 
03. Hydrosphere::03.04. Chemical and biological::03.04.03. Chemistry of waters 
04. Solid Earth::04.04. Geology::04.04.03. Geomorphology 
Abstract: The Monte Corchia cave system, one of the most famous and popular caves in Italy, has in recent times been the subject of investigation on its speleothems as paleoclimate archives. This paper describes the geology, geomorphology and water chemistry of the cave system with the aim to elucidate the processes that have generated these speleothems and the properties they contain that are so useful for paleoclimatology. Some general conclusions can be drawn: i) the Corchia system is a cave developed over different altitudes during progressive uplift of the mountain chain in which it is located, probably under drainage conditions very different to those of the present. This has allowed the development of a large (ca. 60 km) and deep (-1187 m) karst system; ii) the dewatering phases have left the deepest chambers far away from clastic input and with long drip pathways; iii) the peculiar geological context has permitted the water to intercept and dissolve a significant source of U (still unknown) that facilitates radiometric dating; iv) in the last 1 Ma at least, no significant changes have occurred in the relief and in the epikarst, in the sense that speleothems have grown under very similar conditions. In addition the extremely low Ca concentration of drip waters have permitted low speleothem growth rates and, at least for the “Galleria delle Stalattiti”, the zone under paleoclimate studies, a stable plumbing system (i.e. chemistry and stable isotopes of drip waters) has produced calcite close to isotopic equilibrium.
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