Infiltration Measured by the Drip of Stalactites

Abstract

The hydrodynamic processes and mechanisms involved in rain infiltration and recharge in local areas of karst terrain can be identified and quantified by using measurements of the seepage of cave stalactites. Detailed measurements of the seepage of stalactites in seven caves located in an area close to the land surface, or the subcutaneous area of the karst, show a diversity of complex factors involved in infiltration: type of precipitation (rain or snow), air temperature, soil type and thickness, etc., which give rise to larger or smaller variations of flow in the espeleothem hydrographs. In some cases, no explanation can be found for the response of stalactites to rainfall, while in others there is a relationship between outer atmospheric parameters and the recharge represented by the stalactite drip. Romperopas Cave (Spain) has both a rapid and a basic flow, with hydrograph recessions similar to those observed in other caves. Water seepage in this cave varies greatly both in space and in time. The infiltration in Altamira Cave (Spain) was calculated and a multiple regression was found between infiltration, rain and outside air temperature. In other cases, the balance of the water on the soil is responsible for the seepage. Thus, a precipitation runoff numerical model that simulated the stalactite hydrographs could be applied to the Baradla and Beke Caves (Hungary). The complex properties of the ground, which are required for other flow numerical models for the unsaturated zone, were not taken into consideration.