engleski

APPRAISAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS IN POSTOJNA CAVE, SLOVENIA

In order to investigate environmental conditions for carbonate precipitation in Postojna Cave, Slovenia, a comprehensive one-year monitoring of geochemical and physical conditions has been undertaken at several locations in order to determine spatial distribution of these parameters. Special attention has been paid to characterization of stable isotope composition of speleothems (old, modern and recent carbonates), drip and river water, as well as CO2 in cave air. Postojna Cave is one of the most famous karst caves in South Eastern Europe visited by numerous tourists. There is evidence of vegetation change during the past and recently also of land use change, as well as of modification of a cave structure itself. The appraisal of these changes can give us information whether they influence speleothem formation, and if it is possible to determine stable chemical and isotopic conditions of speleothem formation in order to interpret the proxy-data stored in speleothems in terms of paleotemperature and other paleoenvironmental conditions.

Environmental conditions; Postojna cave; monitoring; paleoenvironmental conditions

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