Abstract
Clastic sediments in Bathers Cave, Virginia, are divided into distinct packages that reflect changes in water velocity, sediment source, surficial weathering conditions, and the cave depositional setting that are a function of Quaternary climate change. These packages are found in the same stratigraphic order at various levels on ledges within passages of elliptical cross section in the upper part of the cave system. Sediment extractions performed on separate fractions from each layer indicate changes in oxide mineralogy and clay mineralogy through the sedimentary sequence. Additional samples from a nearby flood plain, a terrace soil, and a sinkhole pond also show mineralogical and geochemical changes. Goethite is abundant in the lower layers of the cave sequence, while the upper layers have mostly ferrihydrite and abundant kaolinite.
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6. References
Bierman, P. R., Lini, A., Zehfuss, P., Church. A., Davis, P. T., Southon, J., and Baldwin, L, 1997, Postglacial ponds and alluvial fans: recorders of Holocene landscape history, GSA Today 7 no. 10:1–8.
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Gibbs, M. M., 1979, A simple method for the rapid determination of iron in natural waters, Water Res 13:295–297.
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Harbor, D. J., 1996, Nonuniform erosion patterns in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia, Geol Soc Am Abstr Programs 28 no. 7:116.
Heron, G. Crouzet, C, Bourg, A. C. M, and Christensen, T. H., 1994, Speciation of Fe(II) and Fe(III) in contaminated aquifer sediments using chemical extraction techniques, Environ Sci Technol 28:1698–1705.
Mehra, O. P. and Jackson, M. L., 1960, Iron oxide removal from soils and clays by a dithionite-citrate system buffered with sodium bicarbonate, Clays Clay Miner 5:317–327.
Moore, G., Crouzet, C, Bourg, A. C. M, and Christensen, T. H., 1989, X-Ray Diffraction and the Identification and Analysis of Clay Mineral, Oxford University Press, New York, 332 p.
Phillips, E. J. P. and Lovely, D. R., 1987, Determination of Fe(III) and Fe(II) in oxalate extracts of sediment, Soil Sci Soc Am J 51: 938–941.
Schwertmann, U., 1993, Relations between iron oxides, soil color, and soil formation, Soil Sci Soc Am, Spec Publ no. 31:51–59.
Schwertmann, U. and Taylor, R. M., 1977, Iron oxides, in: Minerals in Soil Environment, Dinauer, R. C, Soil Science Society of America, Madison, Wisconsin, p.p. 145–181.
Terry, D. O., Jr., Knapp, E. P., Harbor, D. J., and Thren, R. C, 1999, Clastic sediments of Bathers Cave: a potential record of Quaternary climate change in west central Virginia, Geol Soc Am Abstr Programs 31 no. 7:A–233.
Webb, T., Anderson, K. H., Bartlein, P. J., and Webb, R. S., 1998, Later Quaternary climate change in eastern North America: a comparison of pollen-derived estimates with climate model results, Quaternary Science Reviews 17:587–606.
Bierman, P. R., Lini, A., Zehfuss, P., Church. A., Davis, P. T., Southon J., and Baldwin, L, 1997, Postglacial ponds and alluvial fans: recorders of Holocene landscape history, GSA Today 7 no. 10:1–8.
Birkland, P. W., 1984, Soils and Geomorphology, Oxford University Press, New York, 372 p.
Bull, W. B., 1991, Geomorphic Responses to Climate Change, Oxford University Press, New York, 326 p.
Erickson, P. A. and Harbor, D. J., 1998, Bringing down Floyd: incision by the James River in the valley and ridge of Virginia, Geol Soc Am Abstr Programs 30 no. 7:142.
Fang, X., Li, J., Van der Voo, R., Niocaill, C, Dai, X., Kemp, R., Derbyshire, E., Cao, J., Wang, J., and Wang, G., 1997, A record of the Blake event during the last interglacial paleosol in the western Loess Plateau of China, Earth Planetary Sci Lett 146:73–82.
Gibbs, M. M., 1979, A simple method for the rapid determination of iron in natural waters, Water Res 13:295–297.
Harbor, D. J., Terry, D. O., Knapp, E. P., and Panuska, B. C, 1999, River incision and climate history revealed in cave stratigraphy, Maury River, Virginia, Am Geophys Union Abstr Programs 80 no. 17:S126.
Harbor, D. J., 1996, Nonuniform erosion patterns in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia, Geol Soc Am Abstr Programs 28 no. 7:116.
Heron, G., Crouzet, C, Bourg, A. C. M, and Christensen, T. H., 1994, Speciation of Fe(II) and Fe(III) in contaminated aquifer sediments using chemical extraction techniques, Environ Sci Technol 28:1698–1705.
Mehra, O. P. and Jackson, M. L., 1960, Iron oxide removal from soils and clays by a dithionite-citrate system buffered with sodium bicarbonate, Clays Clay Miner 5:317–327.
Moore, G., Crouzet, C, Bourg, A. C. M, and Christensen, T. H., 1989, X-Ray Diffraction and the Identification and Analysis of Clay Mineral, Oxford University Press, New York, 332 p.
Phillips, E. J. P. and Lovely, D. R., 1987, Determination of Fe(III) and Fe(II) in oxalate extracts of sediment, Soil Sci Soc Am J 51: 938–941.
Schwertmann, U., 1993, Relations between iron oxides, soil color, and soil formation, Soil Sci Soc Am, Spec Publ no. 31:51–59.
Schwertmann, U. and Taylor, R. M., 1977, Iron oxides, in: Minerals in Soil Environment, Dinauer, R. C, Soil Science Society of America, Madison, Wisconsin, p.p. 145–181.
Terry, D. O., Jr., Knapp, E. P., Harbor, D. J., and Thren, R. C, 1999, Clastic sediments of Bathers Cave: a potential record of Quaternary climate change in west central Virginia, Geol Soc Am Abstr Programs 31 no. 7:A–233.
Webb, T., Anderson, K. H., Bartlein, P. J., and Webb, R. S., 1998, Later Quaternary climate change in eastern North America: a comparison of pollen-derived estimates with climate model results, Quaternary Science Reviews 17:587–606.
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Knapp, E.P., Terry, D.O., Harbor, D.J., Thren, R.C. (2004). Reading Virginia’s Paleoclimate from the Geochemistry and Sedimentology of Clastic Cave Sediments. In: Sasowsky, I.D., Mylroie, J. (eds) Studies of Cave Sediments. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9118-8_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9118-8_6
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