Thesis (B.S.)--University of Missouri, School of Mines and Metallurgy, 1901. / The entire thesis text is included in file. Typescript. Illustrated by authors. Title from title screen of thesis/dissertation PDF file (viewed October 28, 2008)

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 1985. / Typescript. Description based on print record. Ten folded maps in pocket. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 401-410). Also issued in print.

Thesis (M.S.)--California State University, Los Angeles, 1981. / Title from PDF of title page. Includes bibliographical references (p. 141-148).

Includes bibliographical references. / No detailed investigation has been previously made of the legal status, administration, history, management, finances, and conservation status of a show cave in South Africa. This study, using archival sources and field work, makes a thorough assessment of Cango Cave, a well-known show cave in the Swartberg foothills north of Oudtshoorn in the Cape Province of South Africa. Repeated field trips to Cange Cave and to other caves in the area have confirmed the environmental deterioration of Cango Cave and its surroundings. This study has shown that such deterioration has been caused by human pressures on a non-renewable resource. Reading of the extensive Government and other archives, supplemented by newspaper and other published material, has for the first time enabled the scientific, administrative and financial history of the Cave to be available in one document. Analysis of this assembled evidence, augmented by reading between the lines where the evidence is occasionally missing, has shown the reasons for the failure of successive Cave managements during the past two centuries to operate on a conservation basis. This failure to conserve Cango Cave has occurred despite the avowed policy of every political master of the Cape since 1820 that the Cave is a national asset which shall be conserved. The thesis commences with a description of the location and topography of Cango Cave, followed by a review of cave conservation literature and a summary of the published information on the Cave. There follows a detailed account of the discovery and development of the Cave from 1780 until 1992, and an assessment of its financial status. The impact of humans on the Cave, and its conservation status, are examined in detail. The above data are then discussed at length, and the reasons for the present unsatisfactory management structure identified. Having demonstrated the past and present management failures at Cango Cave, recommendations are made for better management structures and for the necessary applied research. Such research will provide the information which is essential for the future management of Cango Cave on a conservation basis.

White-nose Syndrome (WNS) has caused declines in bat populations in many areas of North America. To understand bat use and fungus presence in caves and culverts in Mississippi, I recorded bat species and abundance in these sites, roosting site characteristics, and incidence of WNS in selected caves and culverts used by bats. Sixteen caves and 214 culverts were surveyed from November-March 2010-2015. Five bat species were detected, and tricolor bats (Perimyotis subflavus) and southeastern myotis (Myotis austroriparius) were most abundant. Over five years, 3,789 roosting bats were recorded in caves and 16,812 were detected in culverts. I found significant relationships between bat numbers in culverts and microclimate conditions, dimensions, and proximity to public lands (P < 0.03). This study can help biologists with prioritization of protection and monitoring of culvert and cave roost sites and provide a greater understanding WNS incidence in these sites.

Karstic cave systems are intricately related to surficial processes and the study of cave sediments is a growing field of research. Sediment deposits in caves are protected from surficial weathering processes, and are therefore often preserved. Cave sediments have applications in studies for paleoclimatic reconstruction, contaminant transport, and paleoflood and stream incision rates, making them valuable contributors to other areas of geoscience. Hidden River Cave is an active, multi-level cave system in the town of Horse Cave, Kentucky with over 33 km of mapped passages. A history of anthropogenic impacts on the cave system include uses for hydroelectric power generation, a water source, and a show cave until it closed in 1943 due to severe contamination from domestic and industrial waste. This study reports on the analysis of sediment cores collected from the cave system which show distinct concentrations of metals within the sediment from chrome plating plant effluent. Relative concentrations of metals in the core record were obtained using an ITRAX core scanner, and were observed to decrease moving downstream from the chrome plating plant contamination source. Sediment core analysis allows depositional patterns in the cave system to be observed and related to historic surficial processes. The chronology of sedimentation events was determined using Pb-210 analysis of core sediment and indicates a strong connection between historical contaminating events in the town of Horse Cave and cave sediment deposition. Sediment core analysis has thus allowed depositional patterns in the cave system to be determined and related to historic surficial processes. These findings can be applied to enhance understanding of the combined effects of landscape evolution and anthropogenic impacts which may be used to inform decision making processes for communities overlying both Hidden River Cave and other karstic cave systems. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Yes / This Short Note describes the distribution and composition of the great auk assemblage found within the Covesea Caves, and discusses its significance. / Glasgow Natural History Society Professor Blodwen Lloyd Binns Bequest, the Prehistoric Society, and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Historic Environment Scotland and Aberdeenshire Council.

Yes

Tafoni have been confusingly defined in many ways: variations in size, rock type, and forming mechanisms. This study addresses tafoni in Quaternary eolian carbonates to help better define the term. Large tafoni were differentiated from other coastal caves in the Bahamas, specifically flank margin and sea caves, using morphometric analyses. The differentiation is important as all three cave types form in the same area, but flank margin and sea caves can be used as paleo-sea level indicators, while tafoni cannot. Small tafoni show a growth rate of 0.022 m3/yr; and may amalgmate to form larger tafoni, which grew at 0.65 m3/yr. Petrographic analysis helped identify tafoniorming mechanisms; results revealed no evaporites present, removing crystal wedging as a mechanism, while indicating wind erosion as the primary mechanism. This analysis found significantly greater cements within the Holocene rocks compared to previous studies, and SEM analysis revealed organic cements preserved by oil-based cutting.

No description available.