Limestone Region Research Articles

Die Entstehung der Poljen und ihre Stellung in der Karstabtragung, auf Grund von Beobachtungen im Taurus

The question of the origin of karst poljes still remains open despite certain advances achieved during recent decades. Observations in the western part of the middle Taurus between Lake Beysehir and the Mediterranean coast near Manavgat, especially in the neighbourhood of Akseki, and also west and north of Antalya in the western Taurus, have shown that there the real reason for the formation of karst plains is to be found in the deposition of insoluble debris in concave relief forms within the limestone area. The source of these alluvial deposits are the sandy and marly rocks which were incorporated into the limestone massif by the folding process. The polje basins are always situated in vales which were once sections of a genuine valley network and which were formed before the fractures in the limestone had become active in the karst hydrography (as understood by Otto Lehmann). In many cases, but not always, major guiding lines of this valley mesh are tectonically determined. After genuine karst formation has set in (i. e. underground drainage), and when the drainage has ceased to run in one direction, closed circumference karst hollows with nonsoluble rocks in their catchment area function as vessels for the deposition of the waste material of these rocks. As long as the infilling continues the deposits take on a fan shape. These fans make the limestone basic layer impermeable so that the water of the streams causing the deposit disappears at the lower end of the fans into the cracks in the limestone, where then pronounced karst erosion takes place. The limestone slopes forming the frame recede with a cliff-like lower section. The fan surface, i. e. the polje surface, occupies the area where the limestone mountain frame was pushed back by corrosion, and the alluvial plain stretches nearly horizontally across the remaining limestone strata. These may dip in any direction. lt is thus that a karst pediment surface, thinly covered with alluvial material, is originated. The conical fan shape of the polje bottom can only be preserved while insoluble deposits are brought into the polje. Once an appreciable supply of such material ceases, the polje bottom gradually assumes an almost plain or gently undulating surface as is the case for instance in many of the !arge poljes of the Dinaric karst. Polje formation is thus neither linked with a karst water table nor, as a rule, with the sea level. The formation is initiated and continued by local causes, as for example the occurrence of water transportable impermeable rocks within the limestone region or at its margins, and the existence within the limestone region of local areas of deposition for the waste products of such rocks. Generally speaking polje formation cannot therefore be considered as a definite stage in a karst erosion cycle, nor can it be linked with peneplain formation as understood by W. M. Davis. It appears that the formation of enclosed poljes is a peculiarity of the periodically dry sub-tropics and the middle latitudes, whereas in the humid and intermittently humid tropics, as well as in the permanently humid sub-tropics with hot summers, formation of karst plains usually occurs in relation to the level of surface streams.

The synecological investigation of weeds in acid-soil and limeston regions. (1)

Summary 1. During the springtime of 1948 an investigation was made on waste, reclaimed, and farm lands in acid-soil as well as limestone regions, in order so determine the relation between the distribution of weeds and the reaction of soil on which they grow. 2. The chief species of weeds which grow on waste, reclaimed, and farm lands were as follows. [table] 3. The following species were abundant on acid soil regions or limestone regions. [table] 4. In proportion as the soil matured the therophytes, weeds of poor sociability, of high constancy and in bloom at that time increased in number of species.

Quercus Durandii and Its Allies

Quercus Durandii is a comparatively rare and little known white oak of the Gulf coastal plain. It is well marked and is easily distinguishable from most of the other oaks of the region, but two or three other related species have been described and there has been some confusion in the treatment of them. The whole group is calciphile and plants are usually found only in limestone regions or on marly soil.

A Comparison of Mycetozoa Fauna in Sandstone and Limestone Regions of Augusta County, Virginia

Collecting the Mycetozoa in southeastern Augusta County has disclosed a number of unusual forms, and has revealed that the types of genera present in one region compared to another vary according to the lime content of the soil. This investigation is the first ecological study of the Mycetozoa in relation to their lime requirement. Forms have been secured from two general localities: one situated in a sandstone region near the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the other in a limestone region well out in the Shenandoah Valley. The forms in the sandstone region select habitats on old logs and sphagnum moss which is scattered around the numerous ponds that appear there. Numerous springs feed into these ponds which are formed as a result of limestone sinks. However, there is no outcropping of limestone in the present area as it is completely covered by overthrusting and many feet of talus and wash at the foot of the Blue Ridge. Therefore, the limy material that lies many feet below the sandstone wash is unavailable to the use of the lime genera of the Mycetozoa. The ponds usually present a gradual incline on the sides, and are well hidden in the flat woods. The numerous springs near these ponds form boggy shallows on the edges, affording excellent pockets in which leaves and other vegetable materials collect. In the process of decay these materials hold much moisture. All of these factors are favorable to the growth of the Mycetozoa. Many of the more familiar species of the Mycetozoa are present here. Didymiiumn nigripes var. xanthopus Lister grows in abundance on sphagnum moss. Lam proderma arcyrionema Rost., Comatricha typhoides Rost., Arcyria denudata Wettstein, A. cinerea Pers., A. digitata Rost., A. nutans Grev., Stemonitis

A Comparison of Mycetozoa Fauna in Sandstone and Limestone Regions of Augusta County, Virginia

A Comparison of Mycetozoa Fauna in Sandstone and Limestone Regions of Augusta County, Virginia

Studies of Subsoil Pollution in Relation to Possible Contamination of the GroundWater from Human Excreta Deposited in Experimental Latrines

The manner and degree of pollution of the subsoil from human excreta deposited above the zone of saturation assumes practical importance because of the possibility of contamination reaching flow both through unconsolidated soils and more particularly through rock formation. From our previous investigations1 it is clear that the general course and approximate distance of penetration of intestinal bacteria with the ground water flow through unconsolidated soils may be prognosticated in any particular instance. But flow through rock formation?because of crevices due to fractures and faults, to seams along bedding planes, or to solution channels which may reach stream proportions in limestone regions-?may carry fecal pollution along conduits of varying size and complexity, the course of which cannot readily be determined or is impossible to trace. It is here obvious, as attested by the literature of waterborne diseases, that dangerous pollution may travel for considerable distances before the influence of dilution and the agencies affecting the death rate of intestinal organisms may render the contamination innocuous.

METAL MINES OF CHINA.

China is a large country and various kinds of metallic minerals are widely spread. Although many mines are still in the hands of the natives, some for example of iron and coal, are worked with the aid of a foreign capital.The mountain gold is obtained in the northern part of Hopei along the Great Wall and the eastern part of Shantung. In the upper course of the Yang-tze-kiang valley, in the province of Szechuan, placer gold is frequently met with. Rich copper mines are found in the middle part of the Yangtze-kiang (Hupei), also in Tagishan mountain range of Hunan, and the Tonchuan district of Yunnan. These mines are in the contact region of limestone and granite. The ores of the above places also contain much gold. Iron deposits are distributed in many provinces, the biggest being in Lungyen of Tsahar, Shantung, Shansi, Anhwei, Hupei and Fukien. Lead and zinc mines are worked in Suikawshan of Hunan and Chekiang. Antimony is found in Hunan and tin in Hunan, Kwangsi and Yunnan. These two metals are famous in the world. Mercury of Kweichow; tungusten, molybdenum and bismuth of Kwangtung and Fukien are alf: D very famous.China has an old history and the mining there was in great progress, but after the Min-Dynasty the progress of all chinese local industries (like mining) were checked by reason of the centralisation of power just as in Japan where the Tokugawa-Shoguns afraid of the local Daimyes checked their becoming too rich.On account of wide distributed of small mines in China, the production of antimony and tungusten becomes very great. On a similar reason, the production of other minerals in China has a hope to grow in future.

Ferns and Fern Allies of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1931 and 1932

During the years 1931 and 1932 the following ferns and fern allies have been found in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, by a group of half a dozen fern students, beginners all. Lancaster County, an area of over 960 square miles, is a very beautiful region of varied topography and soil belts and consequently has a rich and diversified flora. The great Susquehanna River valley, along its southern edge, in which the rocks are predominantly mica-gneiss, is rich in the rare Aspleniums. The lovely river glens, moist and shady, with a deep accumulation of rich leafmold, contain a greater number of species than any other section. To the north is a mountainous region of red sandstone soil. The great central basin is a limestone region, comprising some of the richest farm land in the country. To the southeast is a serpentine belt. The whole offers a remarkable inspiration and challenge to the botanist. OPHIOGLOSSUM VULGATUM L. One station, a swampy field near the Dillerville swamp. BOTRYCHIUM MATRICARIAEFOLIUM A. Braun. Two stations. About twenty-five plants in a ravine at Martic Forge and one plant, very large and healthy, in the Muddy Run ravine. BOTRYCHIUM OBLIQUUM MAuhl. Common. BOTRYCHIUM DISSECTUM Spreng. Common. BOTRYCHIUM ANGUSTISEGMENTUM (Pease and Moore) Fernald. Two stations. Five plants in a ravine at Martic Forge and nine in the Muddy Run ravine. BOTRYCHIUM VIRGINIANUM (L.) Sw. Common. OSMUNDA REGALIS L. Common. 13

The Lime Industry at Rockland, Maine

ToHIS study of the evolution of one of New England's smaller industries, an industry having its beginnings in pre-Revolutionary days, was undertaken because it epitomizes the developments which have taken place in other and greater industries during the past two centuries. New England has always ranked low in its stores of raw materials for manufacturing, and this applies particularly to mineral resources. It is well known that the states of this region lack coal and iron-ore and nearly all other useful metals and minerals. The presence, therefore, of so important a raw material as limestone of suitable quality for the manufacture of lime is a noteworthy industrial fact for New England. The use of lime in connection with the erection of buildings of stone or brick has been known to the civilized portion of the world since ancient times. Modern science has found many more uses for lime, examples of which may be seen in the use of lime in the refining of sugar, the enrichment of soils through liming them, or in sanitation for which chloride of lime is employed. The greater the number of purposes for which lime may be utilized the greater becomes the importance of limestone deposits, the raw material from which commercial lime is manufactured. The rocks of New England are composed, in the main, of the different varieties of crystalline and igneous types, but there are two limestone regions, one along the western border of the New England province extending upward through Connecticut and Massachusetts, and the other on the coast of southern Maine in Knox County which borders on the west the estuary of the Penobscot River. Rockland, a city of about 9,000 population, is the center of the Maine limestone exposure and development. Although this region is much smaller than the other, the Rockland lime industry surpasses that of any one place in Massachusetts or Connecticut. A brief sketch of some of the outstanding changes, both industrial and social, in connection with the manufacture of lime in Knox County during the past two hundred years is the purpose of this paper.

Bee-Fauna and Vegetation of the Miami Region of Florida.

In the central part of Florida the Tropical Life Zone reaches its northern limits in the region southwest of the northern end of Lake Okeechobee. Along the coasts it extends farther north, especially so on the East Coast, where it forms a narrow strip along the Indian River. Miami, the county seat of Dade County, is situated about half way between the northern and the southern limits (Key West). Based on a study of the vertebrate fauna, as also on the evidence offered by E. A. Schwarz (insects), W. H. Dall (mollusks) and C. S. Sargent (trees), C. Hart Merriam ( 12 , 406) reached the conclusion that “there exists in Florida a well-marked sub-tropical fauna and flora consisting in the main (except in the case of terrestrial mammals and reptiles which could not reach it) of genera, and largely of species, identical with those of Cuba.” Referring to the native vegetation of the “Miami Limestone Region,” Dr. J. K. Small ( 22, III) states that “it is essentially of a tropical character, with strong relationships to the flora of Cuba and the Bahamas.”

Efficient Farm Organization for Livestock Production in the Southeastern States

In developing an organization for livestock production, it is necessary to evolve a system to meet all the conditions brought about by the environment or by the economic situation. This at once establishes the fact that the farm organization cannot be hard-and-fast, but even within a limited area, will have to be exceedingly elastic. Consequently, an exact knowledge of conditions, not generally available, is required. It is true, that such knowledge has been gained by many farmers through experience, but it is generally of value only to themselves. However, if a permanent business is to be established, this knowledge must be utilized. It is desirable that the farm organization for livestock production should take into consideration a cash crop. As this crop would be variable, even in the limited area under discussion, the organization would vary somewhat. The general rule should be that the cash crop should contribute something to the livestock production; as, for example, the straw from small grain for either feed or bedding, or, cottonseed meal for feed, in the case of the cotton crop. One of the profits usually attributed to the livestock business is that coming from the manure. An advantage of having a cash crop connected with the livestock business is that the manure can be cashed through this crop and some estimate can be made of its value. As a matter of raising the crop producing power of the farm, no better place can be found than on a leguminous green manure crop. The area under consideration is exceedingly variable. The soils range from the sands and sandy loams of the Coastal Plain region to the rather heavy clays of the limestone sections. This variation in itself will change the organization, since it is not conceivable that the same methods could be used in the blue-grass sections of the limestone region and in the Coastal Plain. In elevation the variation is from sea level to 4,000 feet or more. The topography ranges from level plains to rugged mountains. The natural growth varies with these different conditions. The general type is that afforded by

On Underground Water in Limestone Regions

On Underground Water in Limestone Regions

OBSERVATIONS ON THE DISTRIBUTION AND HABITS OF THE BLIND TEXAN CAVE SALAMANDER, TYPHLOMOLGE RATHBUNI

1. At present it is certain that Typhlomolge rathbuni inhabits the subterranean water of the Purgatory Creek System just north of the Balcones scarp line and one mile further up, and the caves of the Artesian Well of the U.S. Fish Hatchery at San Marcos, which seem to be in direct communication with the Purgatory Creek System by means of channels about 200 feet deep.2. The populations of the species Typhlomolge rathbuni north and south of the present Balcones scarp line have not been separated from each other by the process of faulting in Eocene time, but have developed in unrestricted communication with one another.3. No certain data are available as regards the occurrence of Typhlomolge in the San Marcos Springs and in the dry valley of the San Marcos River north of the Springs. Since the Springs come from the same water reservoir as the Artesian Well, further investigations should be conducted.4. All the localities containing Typhlomolge are located in the Edwards limestone region, but the caves of the...

A New Boletus from Jamaica

During the winter of 1907-8, two species of Boletaceae, the only representatives of the family known from the island, were collected in Jamaica. One of these, Rostkovites granulatus, was rather common at Cinchona, at an elevation of 5,000 feet, but, being a temperate species, did not occur at lower elevations. The other, described below, was found in the famous Cockpit Country, a limestone region of 2,000 feet elevation, which has yielded many botanical novelties in recent years.

Development of the Forest Belts in the North-Western Part of Clay County, Kansas

THE development of forest belts in the northwestern part of Clay county is confined to the bottom lands and bluffs along the Republican river and its tributary creeks. The two main creek systems are Mulberry creek and Five creeks, the sources of both being to the west, in the eastern part of Cloud county. These creeks and their branches lie for the most part in Mulberry, Bloom and Five Creeks townships. The rocks in the region belong to the Dakota group, except toward the southeast, where the upper part of the Permian limestone begins to outcrop. The soil is thus decidedly sandy, on account of the great abundance of Dakota sandstone, although clays are also abundant. The character of the soil seems to have some influence on the distribution of certain trees and shrubs, for a number of species flourish across the line in the Permian limestone region which are not found in the Dakota.

Societies and Academies

LONDON. Entomological Society, October 5.—Prof. E. B. Poulton, F.R.S., president, in the chair.—Mr. G. H. Verrall exhibited specimens of (a) Callicera yerburyi, Verr., a Syrphid new to science, taken this year in Scotland by Colonel J. W. Yerbury, and (b) C. aenea, F., the other British species of the genus, together with three European species of Callicera, C. macquatii, C. spinolae, and C. porrii.—Mr. H. St. J. Donisthorpe exhibited Tetropium fuscum, L. (o and o+) ana Abdera 4-fasciata, Curt., taken by him at Market Bosworth, Leicestershire.—The Rev. F. D. Morice exhibited cells constructed by two wasps, Polistes gallicus and Eumenes coarctatus, found by him in the Balearic Islands.—Mr. A. J. Chitty exhibited specimens of the earwig Apterygida media (albipennis), found originally by Westwood, and hitherto recorded only from Norfolk. He had taken the species at Huntingfield and Charing, Kent, this year.—Mr. W. J. Lucas exhibited a living specimen of Labidura riparia, from the shore near Christchurch, Hants, kept alive for more than a month, and fed upon fruit, meat, &c.—Prof. Hudson Beare exhibited on behalf of Mr. C. J. C. Poole specimens of Aulonium sulcatum, Oliv., a beetle new to the British fauna.—Mr. W. Dannatt exhibited a specimen of Papilio homerus from the Blue Mountains, Jamaica, and three new butterflies, Chlorippe godmani, from Venezuela, Delias hempeli, from Gilolo, and Monethe johnstoni, from British Guiana.—Dr. T. A. Chapman exhibited for Mr. Hugh Main a terato-logical specimen of Arctia caja, bred this year. Immediately below the costa the left hind wing divided into three layers, each of which was apparently a normal wing so far as form, colour, and markings went, but which, when the insect was alive, were so closely applied to each other as to look like one normal wing, until they were separated.—Mr. F. Merrifield exhibited pod-like galls found on a terebinthine shrub in the limestone region of Auvergne, apparently those of Pemphigus cornicularius.—Mr. Norman Joy exhibited the black variety of Bledius taurus. Germ., taken at Wells, Norfolk, August, 1904; Bledius femoralis, Gyll, from Wokingham, Berks, a species that has not been taken in the British Isles for more than fifty years; Polydrucsus sericens, from Hampshire; Neuraphes carinatus, Mul., from Bradfield, near Reading; a small form of Dyschirius politus, Dej., taken at Bridlington and at Wokingham; and a Rhizotrogus (? species), taken in some numbers near Streatley, Berks.—Dr. F. A. Dixey exhibited some preparations of the scent of male Pierine butterflies, and read a note descriptive of the same.—Mr. H. J. Turner exhibited living examples of the larva of Phorodesma smaragdaria from the Essex marshes. He also contributed notes on the life-histories, and living larvas and cases, of several Coleophorids, among them C. vibicella, a species which, although generally distributed on the Continent, has only been recorded from a few English localities.—Mr. G. J. Arrow read a paper on sound production in the lamellicorn beetles.—Prof. C. Aurivillius communicated a paper on new species of African Striphnapterygidee, Notdontidse, and Chrysapalonidae in the British Museum.—Mr. A. H. Swinton communicated a paper on the droughts and weather, and insect increase and migration.—Mr. E. Ernest Green communicated a paper on some new mosquitoes from Ceylon, by Frederick V. Theobald.

Cuspate Forelands along the Bay of Quinte

THE flat-lying limestone regions immediately to the north and east of the east end of Lake Ontario are traversed by a number of deep valleys with graded side slopes on their lower courses. These valleys are probably of preglacial origin, and were carved at a time when the relative altitude of the several parts of the Ontario lowland was different from what it is at present. The partial submergence of a number of these valleys, tributary to one another, has formed the water body known as the Bay of Quinte. This bay extends from near Kingston, at the east end of Lake Ontario, toward the southwest for a distance of over fifty miles, and nowhere has it a breadth exceeding two miles. A reference to the accompanying general map will show its remarkable zigzag course., For purposes of study it may be

The Origin of Nitrates in Cavern Earths

Previous articleNext article FreeThe Origin of Nitrates in Cavern EarthsWilliam H. HessWilliam H. Hess Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Journal of Geology Volume 8, Number 2Feb. - Mar., 1900 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/620781 Views: 305Total views on this site Citations: 11Citations are reported from Crossref PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Yiheng Wang, Xiaoyu Cheng, Hongmei Wang, Jianping Zhou, Xiaoyan Liu, Olli H. Tuovinen The Characterization of Microbiome and Interactions on Weathered Rocks in a Subsurface Karst Cave, Central China, Frontiers in Microbiology 13 (Jun 2022).https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.909494Harshad Vijay Kulkarni, Joshua Ford, Jennifer G. Blank, Minkyu Park, Saugata Datta Geochemical interactions among water, minerals, microbes, and organic matter in formation of speleothems in volcanic (lava tube) caves, Chemical Geology 594 (Apr 2022): 120759.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2022.120759Olivia S. Hershey, Hazel A. Barton , 235 ( 2018): 69.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98852-8_5Rui Zhao, Hongmei Wang, Huan Yang, Yuan Yun, Hazel A. Barton Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea Dominate Ammonia-Oxidizing Communities within Alkaline Cave Sediments, Geomicrobiology Journal 34, no.66 (Sep 2016): 511–523.https://doi.org/10.1080/01490451.2016.1225861Gary A. O’Dell, Angelo I. George Rock-Shelter Saltpeter Mines of Eastern Kentucky, Historical Archaeology 48, no.22 (Oct 2016): 91–121.https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03376929Kathleen Lavoie, Diana Northup, Hazel Barton Microbe–Mineral Interactions, (Dec 2010): 1–45.https://doi.org/10.1201/b10193-2Annette Summers Engel Microbial Diversity of Cave Ecosystems, (Jun 2010): 219–238.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9204-5_10Diana E. Northup, Kathleen H. Lavoie Geomicrobiology of Caves: A Review, Geomicrobiology Journal 18, no.33 (Nov 2010): 199–222.https://doi.org/10.1080/01490450152467750 Amir Sandler and Tim H. E. Heaton Source of Nitrate and Hydrologic Origin of an Unusual Cave Niter Dripstone, Israel A. Sandler & T. Heaton, The Journal of Geology 105, no.66 (Jul 2015): 754–762.https://doi.org/10.1086/515986P. De Cannière, R. Debuyst, F. Dejehet, D. Apers ESR study of internally α-irradiated (210Po nitrate doped) calcite single crystal, International Journal of Radiation Applications and Instrumentation. Part D. Nuclear Tracks and Radiation Measurements 14, no.1-21-2 (Jan 1988): 267–273.https://doi.org/10.1016/1359-0189(88)90075-1 Carol A. Hill Origin of Cave Saltpeter, The Journal of Geology 89, no.22 (Sep 2015): 252–259.https://doi.org/10.1086/628584

The Mammoth Cave of Kentucky An Illustrated Manual

NEARLY a century has passed since the wonderful Mammoth Cave of Kentucky was found by a hunter who entered it in pursuit of a wounded bear. The cave is one of many which occur in the limestone regions of Kentucky and other States of the Central West. It is stated by Dr. Hovey that there are as many as four thousand sink-holes—one covering an area of not less than two thousand acres—and five hundred known caverns, in Edmonson County alone. The Mammoth Cave is not the most interesting from a scientific point of view, nor is it so beautifully decorated with stalactites as the adjacent White Cave, but it transcends the others in the grandeur of its dimensions. So far as is at present known, there is only one entrance to the cave; from it two principal lines of exploration have been laid out, and they are both described in detail in the manual before us.

The Plateau Region of Southern France

THE region described by Mr. Baring-Gould, lies, roughly speaking, to the south and south-west of Auvergne, forming a kind of border-land to that country and the Cevennes. Most of it goes by the name of Les Causses. This is a limestone region, furrowed deep by gorges, and pierced by caves. On the eastern side it rises, in three steps, from the neighbourhood of the Gulf of Lyons to the central massif of ancient granite and schists and of comparatively modern volcanic-rock; on the western side it falls, in like manner, to the sandy lowlands on either bank of the Garonne. The Deserts of Southern France; an Introduction to the Limestone and Chalk Plateaux of Ancient Aquitaine. By S. Baring-Gould With illustrations. In two volumes. (London: Methuen and Co., 1894.)