This is a special issue of the Proceedings of the "Limestone Coast 2004" conference, which was the combined Closing Workshop of IGCP 448 (Global Karst Correlation) and The First International Workshop on RAMSAR Subterranean Wetlands. It contains both submitted conference papers and abstracts.
Ken G. Grimes. 2006. Syngenetic Karst in Australia: a review.
Helictite, Volume 39 (2), 27-38
In syngenetic karst speleogenesis and lithogenesis are concurrent: caves and karst features are forming at the same time as the loose sediment is being cemented into a soft, porous rock. “Eogenetic karst” and “soft-rock karst” are closely related terms for features developed in soft, poorly-consolidated limestones. The distinctive features of syngenetic karst are: shallow horizontal cave systems; a general lack of directed conduits (low irregular chambers occur instead); clustering of caves at the margins of topographic highs or along the coast; paleosoil horizons; vertical solution pipes which locally form dense fields; extensive breakdown and subsidence to form collapse-dominated cave systems; a variety of surface and subsurface breccias and locally large collapse dolines and cenotes; and limited surface sculpturing (karren). These features are best developed in host sediments that have well developed primary matrix permeability and limited secondary cementation (and hence limited mechanical strength), for example dune calcarenites. Certain hydrological environments also assist: invading swamp waters or mixing at a well-developed watertable; or, near the coast, mixing at the top and bottom of a freshwater lens floating on salt water. Where these factors are absent the karst forms tend to be more akin to those of classical hard-rock or telogenetic karst.
Keywords: syngenetic karst, eogenetic diagenesis, soft-rock karst, dune calcarenite, solution pipes, Australia.
Andrej Kranjc. 2006. Seasonal Karst Lake Cerknica (Slovenia) – 2000 Years of Man Versus Nature.
Helictite, Volume 39 (2), 39-46
The Roman geographer Strabo (63 BC – 21 AD) was probably the first to mention Lake Cerknica (Cerkniško Jezero) and the first printed record was published in 1537 (G. Leonberger). The early authors (16th–17th C.) just admired it. The next phase can be called the research one. Authors of the 18th century tried to explain the lake’s hydrographic regime. With the rise of physiographic movements, the first proposals to change the regime, i.e. to dry up the lake, appeared. Many projects have been suggested; a lot of research and even some practical works were done until the middle of the 20th century. No project was fully implemented because of fear of flooding the capital, Ljubljana. After World War II, the situation changed. Instead of draining the lake, it was proposed to make the lake permanent. The first experiments were not successful and in the 1980s attitudes towards the lake changed. Green and environmental movements prevailed and work began to protect the lake as a natural phenomenon.
Keywords: polje, engineering works, karst research, history, Slovenia, Cerknica.
Xie Yunqiu, Zhang Cheng, Lü Yong, Deng Zhenping Environmental Reconstruction of Karst using a Honeysuckle species widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Helictite, Volume 39 (2), 47-50
As in the deserts of Northwestern China, there is a need to reconstruct the fragile karst of Southwestern China using sustainable techniques that protect the environment and develop the economy. One means of achieving this is to plant species used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine. The characteristics of Honeysuckle used in traditional Chinese medicine, when produced on the Donggangling Formation at Nongla Village in Mashan County, in Guangxi Province of Southwestern China, match those of Honeysuckle grown in traditional production areas of China, and comply with the specification set for the Honeysuckle by the P.R. China Codex. Added properties of the Honeysuckle are the accumulation of phosphorus and potassium, in addition to the accumulation of elements such as calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc and so on. Further discussion considers extending the areas in which this Honeysuckle is currently grown, and its limitations in the karst region of Southwestern China where 60% - 70% of calcareous soil may be suitable for its cultivation.Keywords: karst, environmental reconstruction, Honeysuckle used in traditional Chinese medicine, Donggangling Formation.
Elery Hamilton-Smith. 2006. Thinking about Karst and World Heritage.
Helictite, Volume 39 (2), 51-54
Various aspects of the operation of the World Heritage Convention have been reviewed over the last several years. The actual inscription criteria and process have been changed to reduce the differences between natural and cultural sites This may well be of benefit to those seeking recognition of karst sites as many such sites have both natural and cultural values. At the same time, every effort is being made to reduce the number of new inscriptions, while at the same time endeavoring to ensure that the list is balanced, representative and credible. Efforts are being made to establish frameworks to enable more adequate assessment of representivity, and this paper will propose and examine a potential framework for cave and karst sites. |
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