Biothems: Biologically influenced speleothems

Overview

This set of pages covers speleothems and related deposits that have been formed partly by biological activity. They were stimulated by the following papers:
Taboroši, D., 2006: Biologically influenced carbonate speleothems. Geological Society of America, Special Paper 404: 307-317.
Taboroši, D., Hirakawa, K. and Stafford, K. 2003: Speleothem-like calcite and aragonite deposits on a tropical carbonate coast. Cave and Karst Science, 30(1): 23-32.
and
Taboroši, D., and Stafford, K., 2003: Littoral Dripstone and Flowstone - Non-spelean Carbonate Secondary Deposits Int. J. Speleol., 32(1/4): 85-106.
Together with the exellent web site on odd-ball speleothems prepared by Jill Rowling. http://www.speleonics.com.au/jills/index.html

A few miscellaneous photographs appear below, but most are organised into the following pages:

Entrance area speleothems: Speleothems in the twilight zone tend to be irregular, "lumpy", odd-coloured and oriented in non-vertical directions. Examples are shown - mainly from NSW
Tufa deposits: Examples of spring and stream tufa deposits from various parts of Australia.
Mud speleothems: Examples of thin mud strings and leaf-like forms which may be coating cobwebs or other biologial filaments. From DD-4 Cave in western Victoria.

Selected photographs and diagrams

To view full size images, click on the displayed image.

Strongs Cave, 6Wi-63, Western Australia.
Roots are common features in dune limestone caves. Locally they can form extensive mats that are important habitats for cave life.
File: C030313.jpg

Quarry Cave, 5L-23, South Australia
Partly calcified (white areas) roots in a dune limestone cave.
File: S951019.jpg

$.\Tufa\C030131.jpg$

Cape Leeuwin area, south-west Western Australia.
Calcified roots in an area of spring tufas.
File: C030131.jpg

Christmas Island, Indian Ocean.
Unusual "paddy field" terraces on the floor of a tidal-notch in the coastal cliffs. The rims are only 1-3 cm high. Their genesis is uncertain, but an organic influence seems possible.
File: C980520.jpg

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