Abstract
Two main types of karst formation are commonly known: the surficial meteoric one and the subsurface (hypogenic) karst, related to both carbonic (H2CO3) and sulphuric (H2S) acids. Nevertheless, a third, less well studied type exists that is referred to here as CO2‐regime related karst. This article describes Pleistocene phreatic cave spar from the diapiric Jabal Madar dome in Northern Oman. These caverns and their precipitates probably represent examples of CO2‐related karsting and subsequent calcite precipitation. Phreatic calcites form at the interface between two fundamentally different diagenetic and hydrogeological domains: the deep‐seated, hydrothermal and the near‐surficial, meteoric–vadose one. Changes in the ratio between hydrothermal upwelling and meteoric influx are recorded in the geochemistry and mineralogy of these calcites making them uncommon archives of two contrasting realms.
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