Chemical Erosion of the Lilburn Cave System, Kings Canyon National Park, California

Multi‐year Instrumental records for input, throughflow and output waters of the Lilburn Cave system provide control on denudation rates as they respond to seasonal and spatial variability. Data suggest that maximum denudation is in the late fall and early winter. This is when non‐snowmelt discharge...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ground water 2001-03, Vol.39 (2), p.223-229
Main Authors: Abu-Jaber, Nizar, Hess, John W., Howcroft, William
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Calcium Carbonate - chemistry
California
carbonates
Caves
Chemical reactions
Chemicals
Electric Conductivity
Environmental aspects
Environmental Monitoring
Erosion (Geology)
Geological Phenomena
Geology
National parks
Seasons
Soil
Temperature
USA, California
Water
Water Movements
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Multi‐year Instrumental records for input, throughflow and output waters of the Lilburn Cave system provide control on denudation rates as they respond to seasonal and spatial variability. Data suggest that maximum denudation is in the late fall and early winter. This is when non‐snowmelt discharge is at Its maximum. At lower discharge rates the volume of water moving through the cave system Is the limiting control on the volume of denudation. During periods of snowmelt the limiting control is the rate at which the calcite dissolves. This is probably the result of water flowing through wider channels during these times. Based on instrumental measurements, there is considerable variation in terms of where denudation occurs inside the cave. The loci of dissolution change from year to year. This is to be expected in the dynamic environment of the cave where materials shift routinely. This variability should be studied over longer periods of time in order to more fully understand its extent. The relatively small area of carbonate exposure relative to the area of the drainage basin gives rise to relatively high denudation rates. The carbonate Is being removed at a rate of about 5000 metric tons per year, or at about 830 mm/y. This is about five times the rate reported in the humid karst regions of Malaysia. This information indicates that the relative proportion of carbonate in the drainage basin needs to be considered when trying to estimate denudation in other areas.
ISSN:0017-467X
1745-6584
DOI:10.1111/j.1745-6584.2001.tb02303.x