Thesis (M.S.)--Northwest Missouri State University, 2006. / The full text of the thesis is included in the pdf file. Title from title screen of full text.pdf file (viewed on January 25, 2008) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--Université de Paris VII, 1972. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 703-733) and index.

Thesis--Université de Paris VII, 1972. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 703-733) and index.

Bell holes are described as vertical, cylindrical, dissolutional cave ceiling voids. Quantitative analysis of bell holes in San Salvador, Bahamas; Isla de Mona, Puerto Rico; Kentucky; and New York permit bell hole morphology to be contrasted in various geological settings and speleogenetic regimes. Mean bell hole height is 36 cm with a width of 34 cm and cross-sectional area of776 cm 2. Bell holes have elliptical openings, conical to cylindrical profiles, strong vertical development, and sometimes are associated with bell pits. Bell hole width remains constant between the study localities, but height varies. Several processes have been proposed to explain bell hole development: bat activity, condensation corrosion, phreatic degassing, vadose percolation, and phreatic convection cells. The vadose mechanisms seem unreasonable in light of bell hole morphology and setting. Thus, a phreatic process functioning in a laminar or slow-moving turbulent flow regime most likely accounts for bell hole formation.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2008.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Duke University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 424-457).

In karst basins, significant amounts of surface-derived sediment can enter into cave systems. The transport and deposition of these sediments in underground streams is a function of flow velocity, sediment supply and passage morphology. Changes in the surface environment can affect the water and sediment supplies to subsurface drainage systems and thus may be reflected in the sedimentary structure, texture and rates of deposition of cave sediments. Cave sediments in two south central Kentucky caves were studied to evaluate a possible, relationship between variations in deposit characteristics and variations in surface changes, including land-use. Samples were collected using coring tubes to preserve the structure within the sediment. The structure was documented visually, recording distinct changes in the layering. The textural variations were determined through sieving samples at 5 cm intervals. Passage morphology was documented through detailed mapping of the passage in the vicinity of the sediment banks. Rates of deposition were determined through Cesium and Carbon isotope analysis of the sediments and these dates were then compared to major changes in land-use in the drainage basin. It was determined that the character of sediments deposited at particular locations likely depends on the distance from the source of sediment, passage geometry and surface land use history.

This study uses high-resolution, long-term conductivity, temperature, discharge, pH, and laboratory data from 2001 through 2003 from an alpine karst spring located at 2,500 m amsl in Sequoia National Park, California to reveal detailed chemical parameters of this karst system. The data show a system with a pronounced spring run-off, extended periods of base flow quiescence, storm responses tied to precipitation as rain or as snowfall, and clear diurnal and seasonal patterns of discharge. pH and spC values show an inverse relationship to discharge and temperature, which are generally in phase. Total inorganic carbon (TIC) and the fraction of mineral-derived and biologically derived C were calculated using three methods. One provided values close to the theoretically likely ratio of 50:50 between the two C sources, while others showed ratios of greater biologically derived C, an unlikely possibility in groundwater chemistry. Saturation indices for the system vary seasonally, with base flow waters saturated at SI values between 0.2 and 0.5, and spring run-off (Q > 100 L/s) waters under saturated and chemically aggressive with SI values as low as -1.2. Late summer rain storm events can return the system to an under saturated state. The denudation rate for the marble bedrock, which makes up approximately 8% of the basin, was found to be high at 148.6 mm/1000 years. Ion and TIC flux are shown to be determined by discharge and not ion concentration.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Minnesota, 1983. / Includes bibliographical references (vol. 2, leaves 412-431).

In the semi-arid southwestern US, the lack of continuous records of climate over the last glacial cycle has precluded a complete understanding of the rates and timing of past regional changes in climate. Speleothems can provide high-resolution, continuous record of moisture, temperature, and, potentially, vegetation variations and can be precisely dated by uranium-series disequilibrium. We have produced two U-series dated speleothem δ¹⁸O records from Cave of the Bells (COB). COB is located in Santa Cruz County, Arizona on the east side of the Santa Rita Mountains (31°45'N, 110°45'W; 1700 m). The glacial speleothem δ¹⁸O record (53 to 8.5 ka) confirms that deglaciation in the Southwest proceeded via a stepwise shift, mirroring the Bølling-Allerød warming and Younger Dryas cooling, beginning around 15 ka. There is no evidence of early warming before the decline of the large ice sheets. In Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS3; 53 to 30 ka), we observe millennial variations similar to Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) events first seen in Greenland ice core δ¹⁸O records with wet/cold conditions indicated by our cave record during glacial stadials (cold periods) and dry/warm during glacial interstadials (warmer periods). High-resolution U-series dating allows for refinement of the timing of DO events in MIS3, and spectral analysis confirms the presence of a 1515-year climate cycle during this time. The δ¹⁸O data from a Holocene stalagmite (~6.9 to 3.5 ka) average ~3‰ higher than modern and exhibit substantial multidecadal to multicentury variation. We propose that in addition to drier/warmer conditions in the winter, a stronger summer monsoon and perhaps warmer summer temperatures supplied waters with higher δ¹⁸O values to the cave during the mid-Holocene. Spectral analysis of early part of the δ¹⁸O record reveals variability at periods of 233 years and at 142 and 52. After ~4.9 ka a prominent shift from centennial to multidecadal periods of variability (a 70 to 50-year cycle) is observed and there is a slight decrease in average δ¹⁸O values. This shift is coincident with a hypothesized increase in El Niño activity, which is correlated to wet winters in the modern southwest, in the tropical Pacific at ~5 ka.