High-Reesolution Magnetostratigraphy of Speleothems from Snežna jama, Kamnik-Savinja Alps, Slovenia

Abstract

Snežna jama je velika vodoravna fosilna epifreatična jama. Leži v grebenu Raduhe, V delu Kamniško Savinjskih Alp v SV Sloveniji. V bližini vhoda je v jami v okrog 3 m visok prerezu razgaljeno zaporedje plasti sig s številnimi prekinitvami rasti in izdatno terigeno komponento v spodnjem delu. V 2,4 m dolgem zveznem profilu smo vzeli zaporedne vzorce , ki smo jih proučili z termalno demagnetizacijsko metodo in metodo spreminjajočega magnetnega polja. Magnetostratigrafske analize so pokazale 7 normalnih in 6 reverznih magnetocon. Magnetne lastnosti se dobro ujemajo z litološko mejo v profilu sige. Spodnji del profila kaže večjo magnetno susceptibilnost in močnejšo remanentno magnetizacijo. Sprememba lastnosti v profilu nakazuje pomembno paleogeografsko spremembo v času nastajanja sige. Starost sige sega izven dosega datacijske metode alfa spektrometrične analize U razpadne vrste; ravnotežje U izotopov pa nakazuje starost večjo od 1,2 Ma. Najbolj verjetna starost sige, ki jo dobimo z korelacijo s primerjavo z geomagnetno časovno skalo je bodisi 3,0 do 5,0 ali 1.8 do 3.6 Ma. Starost jame lahko primerjamo z nekaterimi brezstropimi jamami na krasu v JZ Sloveniji, kjer sedimentacijo v jamah postavljamo v mesinsko obdobje. Snežna jama je bila dvignjena v sedanjo višino z mlajšimi (plio-pleistocenskimi) dvigovanji Alpskega loka.

The Snežna jama Cave is located in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, NE Slovenia, in a Raduha Ridge. The cave is a huge, more or less horizontal fossil phreatic/epiphreatic conduit. It is penetrated by vertical shafts – invasion vadose (proglacial) caves. Close to the cave entrance, there is about 3 m high wall composed of speleothems - a complex sequence of flowstone with numerous breaks in deposition, six of them are principal. The lower part of the profile (about 85 cm) contains abundant terrigenous component (terra rossa-derived clay). Stalagmites developed in several periods are completely buried by nearly horizontal younger sequences of flowstone. Continuous speleothem log was recovered from the profile in a total length of about 2.4 m. The rock column was cut to cubes in the laboratory (2x2x2 cm) and studied both by thermal demagnetisation (23 samples, 12 steps - 20 to 620 ¡C) and alternating field method (98 samples, 14 steps - 1 to 100 mT). Magnetic properties identified the lithological boundary. In contrast to the upper part, the lower one shows both higher magnetic susceptibility and higher remanent magnetisation. The turn point can indicate important palaeogeographical change. Magnetostratigraphic log is composed of 7 normal and 6 reverse polarised magnetozones. The age of speleothems detected by the U-series alpha-counting spectrometry falls outside the method range, i.e. over 350 ka. Uranium isotopic equilibria indicate the age over 1.2 Ma. The age of the fill is pre-Quaternary, clearly older than 1.77 Ma. The most probable age from correlation with geomagnetic polarity timescales is about 3.0 to 5.0 or 1.8 to 3.6 Ma. Both possibilities can indicate the growth rate of speleothems of about 1.1 to 1.3 m per 1 Ma. The age of speleogenesis can be compared to some of unroofed caves in the area of the Classical Karst (SW Slovenia) connected with the Messinian period. Snežna jama was uplifted to high altitudes by younger (Plio-Pleistocene) uplift of the Alpine chain.