ABSTRACTS

59 Volume, 2008, Number: 1-4

SCIENTIFIC PAPERS

Measurement of air flow in the Loferer Schacht and the Kristallcanyon cave (Loferer Steinberge, Austria)
(Messung der Wetterführung im Loferer Schacht und im Kristallcanyon, Loferer Steinberge (Österreich))
Jochen Hartig

In the period from September 2006 to September 2007, a continuous measurement of wind and temperature was conducted in the Loferer Schacht (1323/42) and the Kristallcanyon cave (1323/127). After taking into account the snow conditions, the comparison of these data with the air temperature recorded by a nearby weather station demonstrates seasonal wind cycles. Two anemometers developed by the author were installed and used to take hourly readings of the cave winds during the twelvemonth period. The anemometer installed in the Loferer Schacht provided excellent data, which are analyzed in this article. The second anemometer, installed in the Kristallcanyon, lost a memory card during transport and no data were recorded. However, this loss was balanced by the successful recording of very meaningful temperature data.

Ice and air temperature measurements in the Schönberg-Höhlensystem (Totes Gebirge, Austria) and a model of cyclic ice dynamics
(EBSD) method
(Eis- und Lufttemperaturmessungen im Schönberg-Höhlensystem (1626/300) und Modellvorstellungen über den Eiszyklus)
Maximilian Wimmer

Currently 34 entrances to the Schönberg- Höhlensystem are known, giving rise to a complex air ventilation pattern. Ice is present in some near-surface parts of the cave and its volume and geometry varies significantly. A significant reduction of ice was observed between 1970 und 2002, and hitherto unknown entrances were released by the melting process. Measurements of ice profiles started in 1994 and the air temperature has been logged since 1995. These data showed that pits of the Raucherkarhöhle extending to high altitude and connections to the Feuertal-Höhlensystem are responsible for the main supply with cold air. The presence of ice is subject to medium- to long-term variations depending on the changing circulation of air between the different cave levels which themselves are forced by the periodic opening and closing of pits by near-surface ice. In stark contrast to the current trend of atmospheric warming in the Alps the cave has been experiencing gradual cooling during the past years. Pits critical for cold air supply are currently open and cold winter air can reach the level of the Kleiner Rundgang, wherethe ice started to grow following an ice-free period. In the Eisstadion, the temperature is currently falling and the ice also began to grow after a long-lasting melting period due to positive year-around. A model is presented in which the apparently cyclic opening and closing of entrances control the complex ventilation pattern and hence the high extent of ice dynamics in this cave between 1965 to 2007.

Cryogenic carbonates in cave ice of the Eisriesenwelt
(Kryogene Karbonate im Höhleneis der Eisriesenwelt)
Christoph Spötl

Progressive freezing of calcium- and bicarbonate- bearing cave waters can give rise to high supersaturation and the subsequent precipitation of microscopic calcite crystals and aggregates thereof. These particles are disseminated in the ice of ice caves and may later be concentrated by sublimation or melting of ice to form thin carbonate beds in layered ice (cryogenic carbonates). Such white to light brown, silty to fine sandy layers occur in the rear of the ice-bearing part of the Eisriesenwelt cave (Werfen, Salzburg) and were previously regarded as finely disintegrated limestone powder derived from the cave ceiling. Studies using scanning electron microscopy show that this material consists of 30-200 µm aggregates of euhedral crystals, which, according to powder Xray diffraction analyses, are near-stoichiometric low-Mg calcite. The crystal aggregates commonly show a conspicuous flat top and resemble larger floating calcite rafts known from calcite-precipitating pools in ice-free caves. There are gradual transitions between these aggregates and skeletal crystal aggregates and (hemi)spherulitic forms, respectively. The small particle size and the skeletal crystal habit strongly argue in favour of rapid crystal growth during freezing of shallow puddles of icy water. This interpretation is corroborated by the highly positive C isotope values, which, in conjunction with the O isotope data, prove the cryogenic origin of these carbonates. The proportion of detrital contamination is very low. This study is the first report of fine-grained cryogenic speleothems in an eastalpine cave. It is supposed that such sediments are more wide spread and thicker layers may represent important paleoenvironmental marker horizons.

Cryogenic calcite particles from the Heilenbecker Cave in Ennepetal (NE Bergisches Land/North-Rhine Westphalia)
(Kryogene Calcitpartikel aus der Heilenbecker Höhle in Ennepetal (NE Bergisches Land/Nordrhein-Westfalen))
Detlev K. Richter, Rolf D. Neuser, Stefan Voigt

Calcarenites to -rudites are present between fallen blocks in the „Runde Halle“ of the Heilenbecker Cave in Ennepetal (NE Bergisches Land, Germany) and are mainly composed of four particle types: 1. plait sinter, 2. rhombohedral crystal sinter, 3. spherulites, 4. skeletal crystal sinter. These speleogenic particles were studied using scanning electron microscopy, cathodoluminescence microscopy and mass spectrometry (C/Oisotopes) in order to gain insights into their mode of formation. The very low ?18O (–6 to –16 ‰ VPDB) and ?13C values (–3 to –7‰VPDB) strongly suggest that these calcite particles formed in pools on ice during the transition from a glacial to a warm climate period. Growth of these particles apparently occurred during very slow freezing of water. After the ice had melted the cryogenic particles settled between and on the blocks of the cave.

Cave crickets – the anniversary of the word coinage Höhlenheuschrecke
(Höhlenheuschrecken – Zum Jubiläum einer Wortschöpfung)
Erhard Christian

The compound Höhlenheuschrecke was created by the Austrian entomologist Vincenz Kollar 175 years ago. To mark this anniversary, the present review highlights several aspects of the research history and the biology of cave crickets. Emphasis is laid on Troglophilus cavicola (Kollar, 1833), originally described from the small cave Schelmenloch south of Vienna, because this species was the first to be named after the cave environment. Cave and camel crickets (Rhaphidophoridae) and the central European representatives of this subcosmopolitan familiy are characterized here, followed by a biogeographic outline of European cave crickets. The Austrian ranges of T. cavicola and its close relative T. neglectus Krauss, 1879 were shaped by post-glacial expansion, whereas records of T. neglectus north of the Alps probably reflect anthropogenic transport. The two species are not restricted to carbonate rock or to the presence of natural caves; crucial, however, is the availability of frost-protected subterranean overwintering shelters. From spring to fall, our Troglophilus species feed on plant debris and small arthropods out in the open, where oviposition takes place as well. In a full lifespan, the individual changes twice between a chiefly aboveground summer phase and a subterranean winter phase. Caves can simultaneously house juvenile and adult Troglophilus all the year round.

Morphological responses of cave bears (Ursus spelaeus group) to high-alpine habitats
Gernot Rabeder, Irena Debeljak ,Michael Hofreiter, Gerhard Withalm

A comparison of metrical and morphological data from more than 30 bear populations belonging to the cave bear group (U. spelaeus and its relatives U. eremus, U. ladinicus, U. ingressus as well as their predecessor U. deningeri) shows that the different species developed very different adaptations to the altitude of their habitats. Whereas there is a reduction of body size in Ursus eremus and U. ladinicus correlated with the altitude of the habitat (“alpine nanism”) no such correlation can be observed in U. ingressus. In U. ingressus there is a positive correlation of the tooth indices and the altitude of the habitat, i.e. in the higher sites the teeth are more evolved.

FORSCHUNGSBERICHTE

The Raucherkar Cave (1625/55) as part of the Schönberg-Cave-System
(Die Raucherkarhöhle (1626/55) als Teil des Schönberg- Höhlensystems)
Harald Zeitlhofer, Gerald Knobloch

This article describes the history of expeditions into the Raucherkarhöhle in the western part of the Totes Gebirge (cave inventory group 1626 – Schönberg). The second part describes the different sections of the cave.

The Feuertal-Cave-System as part of the Schönberg-Cave-System (1626/300)
(Das Feuertal-Höhlensystem als Teil des Schönberg-Höhlensystems (1626/300))
Wolfgang Jansky, Clemens Tenreiter, Ludwig Pürmayr

Cave exploration in the western part of “Totes Gebirge” in the area of “Raucher”, “Feichter” and “Schönberg” has been going on for fifty years. Finally, in 2007, a connection was found between “Raucherkarhöhle” (1626/55a-y, RKH) and “Feuertal-Höhlensystem” (1626/120a-i, FTS), which turned them into 125 km long “Schönberg-Höhlensystem” (1626/500). This report describes the history of the exploration of the FTS until the successfulconnection with the RKH: In 1976 French cavers discovered the FTS and explored the cave till 1979. Unfortunately, they documented the cave but poorly (reported length of about 6,2 km). 1982-1990 exact documentation and additional exploration was done (20 km). In 1986 cavers succeeded in uniting it with “Feuertal-Eishöhle” (1626/18), which has been known at least since 1921. Between 1990 and 2006 the rate of increase was poor although a connection to the RKH seemed probable. In 2006, exploration in the far distant parts of the cave started again and the length of the cave reached 35 kilometres. In summer 2007, it was connected with RKH, which in the meantime had reached a length of 90 kilometres.

The exploration of Unterfeld in Hirlatz-Cave
(Die Erforschung des Unterfelds in der Hirlatzhöhle)
Ulrich Meyer, Gottfried Buchegger

The results from six years of exploration in the eastern part of Hirlatz Cave in the Dachstein Mountains are presented. Boltclimbing led to the discovery of a huge tunnel 60 m above the canyon at the former end of the cave. The tunnel opened out into a big dome called Kolosseum and continued through more canyons to a 80 m climb. Above the climb, the passage sinks into the waters of a lake at the contact zone of limestone and dolomite. Two sumps were dived, then a dry shortcut could be found that enabled further exploration. More spectacular discoveries followed, but finally the main tunnel forked and all passages submerged into a muddy sump area. All in all more than 6 km of new galleries could be surveyed in this area of the cave, called Unterfeld. The total length of the cave reached 96.2 km in February 2008. This article gives a short outline of the history of explorations, a more detailed description of the new passages and some observations of geological and hydrological relevance.

New discoveries in the Gassel-Tropfsteinhöhle (1618/3) near Ebensee
(Neuforschungen in der Gassel-Tropfsteinhöhle (1618/3) bei Ebensee)
Dietmar Kuffner

The Gassel-Tropfsteinhöhle was discovered in 1918 and established as a show cave during the following years. The exploration history can be divided into three phases, whereby the latest one has started at the end of 2006 and involved the most significant discoveries ever made. The discovery of the Nord-Territorium (North-Territory) increased the length of the cave from 1307 m to 2716 m. The new cave parts host a great variety of speleothems, in particular stalactites and stalagmites, which surpass previously known formations in both abundance and size.

Siphons beneath the jungle: an expedition to the remote caves of New Britain
(Siphone tief im Dschungel: Bericht von einer Höhlenexpedition in den Urwald Neubritanniens)
Ulrich Meyer

For more than 30 years, international expeditions have been exploring the limestone ranges of Newbritain. The enormous pits of Nare, Minye, Ora and Kavakuna are well known among cavers all over the world. They give entrance to the roaring underground rivers of the Nakanai Mountains. In 1995, French speleologists reached –1000 m for the first time in the southern hemisphere in the Casoar Cave System. But the known cave forms only part of the big collecteur that feeds the Berenice Spring deep inside the Galowe-Gorge. The Arcturus Cave also feeds this spring, as proven by dye trace. To realize the junction by diving was the goal of an international expedition early in 2007. This goal could not be reached, but by linking several nearby caves to Arcturus, a new cave system with 10416 m length and 518 m depth was established and named Wallaby. All in all, 9465 m of new passages in 14 different caves were explored during the expedition. 16 sumps were dived, 12 of these could be passed and 2866 m of dry galleries were surveyed behind sumps. The projected sampling and age determination of cave sediments was cancelled in the last minute due to missing sponsors.

Poldi Fuhrich: Female pioneer of severe cave exploration
(Poldi Fuhrich (1898-1926) – Pionierin der extremen Höhlenforschung)
Trevor Shaw (Übersetzung: Christa Pfarr)

Poldi Fuhrich (1898-1926) of Salzburg became one of the leading cave explorers of the 1920s, a remarkable achievement for a woman at that time. Each year from 1919 to 1925 she was in the front line of new exploration in Austria’s Eisriesenwelt. In 1925 she was one of the surveyors in the Poulnagollum river cave in Ireland, and she also visitied caves in France, Germany, Moravia, Dalmatia, Slovenia and Brazil. Her unpublished documents and photographs from 1921, when she was working deep in Škocjanske jame, reveal much about Robert Oedl’s surveying methods and about their Slovene assistants. At the age of 28 she died in a cave accident while exploring the Lurgrotte in Austria.