L Roebuck
Technical Support
Caving
^V^ Just a caver
Posts: 2,023
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Post by L Roebuck on Jan 8, 2007 9:08:26 GMT -5
Fast cave formation? Nature picks snottitesOne way nature makes a cave is by hollowing out limestone rock with sulfuric acid. It seems this process works especially well in caves that look as if they have a bad cold, according to a research team led by Pennsylvania State University scientists. The group studied this gooey phenomenon in central Italy, home to one of the world's largest actively growing cave complexes. The Frasassi caves are simply dripping with biofilms, some of them with the unappetizing name of "snottites." "I wish I had made that up," says Jennifer Macalady, a Penn State assistant professor of geosciences. "It is very appropriate." Though she didn't coin the term, Macalady and colleagues have learned more about how snottites accelerate the process of cave formation, they reported last month at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco. Full Article
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Brian Roebuck
Site Admin
Caver
Caving - the one activity that really brings you to your knees!
Posts: 2,732
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Post by Brian Roebuck on Jan 10, 2007 19:08:27 GMT -5
I imagine sulfuric acid is much more efficient at cave formation than nitric acid from soil nitrogen content. I notice that some European limestones are more yellow in color than gray like we have here in S.E. United States. Makes me wonder if sulfuric acids are responsible for the coloration difference. Apparently caves in the U.S. southwest are also formed with sulfuric acid and appear much more light colored inside with many more mineral types and formations than I see locally. Very interesting chemistry and geology going on there!
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