Hypogean microclimatology and hydrology of the 800-900 m asl level in the Monte Corchia cave (Tuscany, Italy): preliminary considerations and implications for paleoclimatological studies

Authors

  • Ilaria Baneschi Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse – CNR, Via Moruzzi, 1, 56100, Pisa
  • Leonardo Piccini Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Firenze, Via La Pira, 4, 50121, Firenze
  • Eleonora Regattieri Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Firenze, Via La Pira, 4, 50121, Firenze
  • Ilaria Isola Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Pisa, Via della Faggiola 32, 56126 Pisa
  • Massimo Guidi Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse – CNR, Via Moruzzi, 1, 56100, Pisa
  • Licia Lotti Agenzia Regionale per la protezione Ambientale della Toscana (ARPAT) – Dipartimento Provinciale di Massa, Via del Patriota, 2, 54100 Massa
  • Francesco Mantelli Agenzia Regionale per la protezione Ambientale della Toscana (ARPAT) – Dipartimento Provinciale di Firenze, Via Ponte alle Mosse, 211, 50144 Firenze
  • Marco Menichetti Dipartimento di Geologia e Tecnologie Chimiche Ambientali Università di Urbino Campus Universitario I-61029 Urbino
  • Russell N. Drysdale School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308
  • Giovanni Zanchetta Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse – CNR, Via Moruzzi, 1, 56100, Pisa Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa, Via S. Maria 53, 56126 Pisa Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Pisa, Via della Faggiola 32, 56126 Pisa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3986/ac.v40i1.36

Abstract

The Monte Corchia Cave is one of the most promising sites for studying the paleoclimate of the Mediterranean basin, but its hydrology and hydrogeochemistry are still poorly known. In this paper, we report some meteoclimatic and hydrochemical data for different parts of the cave. Conductivity and water level data from La Gronda channel show that this system reacts rapidly to external meteoric events, indicating the presence of a conductive epikarst. Data on two different drips indicate that the physicochemical parameters, suchas conductivity, pH, δ13CDIC and drip rate depend on the local structural setting and water pathlength. The data presented show that Galleria delle Stalattiti (the focus of the paleoclimate research) has the most stable conditions in terms of temperature, and the dripwaters show constant pH, electrical conductivity, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium content and δ18O. Drip rate is not affected by rain events and displays long-term trends that require a longer period of monitoring for elucidating their nature. The preliminary data presented here corroborate the hypotheses suggesting Galleria delle Stalattiti as a good example of a “deep” hypogean system of Fairchild et al. (2007).

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Published

2011-05-01

How to Cite

Baneschi, I., Piccini, L., Regattieri, E., Isola, I., Guidi, M., Lotti, L., Mantelli, F., Menichetti, M., Drysdale, R. N., & Zanchetta, G. (2011). Hypogean microclimatology and hydrology of the 800-900 m asl level in the Monte Corchia cave (Tuscany, Italy): preliminary considerations and implications for paleoclimatological studies. Acta Carsologica, 40(1). https://doi.org/10.3986/ac.v40i1.36

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Section

Original papers