UIS Commission on Karst Hydrogeology and Speleogenesis

Andrea Columbu informs about speleogenesis session during the EGU General Assembly in Vienna, 2020. Session GM13.1: Caves: genesis and evolution through time Conveners: Andrea Columbu, Carlos Perez, Laura Sanna Karst systems are complex subterraneous landscapes, and their comprehensions require a multidisciplinary approach. Indeed, speleogenesis is controlled by multiple factors such as nature of the bedrock, tectonic, hydrology, geochemistry, biochemistry and climate. All these (and others) elements interact through time, and constraining the geochronology of cave evolution, from the "inception horizon" to the actual status, is often challenging.

Furthermore, underground voids might be the result of diverse geomorphological drivers (vadose vs phreatic flows, epigenic vs hypogenic conditions, hydrothermal waters, sulphuric fluids, water mixing, condensation/corrosion, etc) resulting in an array of different shapes and geochemical signatures that need to be correctly interpreted in order to define the genetic environments. This session aims to novel studies on speleogenesis, with a particular attention on its geochronological aspect. Multidisciplinary approaches and innovative techniques are strongly welcomed. Abstract submission here