speleonet

Wakulla Springs

Here's a series of seven clips on Wakulla by Chuck Ford featuring the work of the Woodville Karst Plain Project and the Wakulla Watershed Coalition. 

Black Spots Threaten Cave Drawings

Via the AP...

This July, caretakers noticed new black spots covering some of the drawings. Samples taken from them showed the stains were caused by two fungi, ulocladium and gliomastix, that developed on top of a sublayer of existing bacteria.

Targeted biocides, which are substances that can kill bacteria, were tested on the samples. At a meeting this week, the Lascaux Caves International Scientific Committee approved the use of the localized biocides to treat the affected cave areas.

... more here.

Rivers Do Not Act As Barriers For Groundwater Flow

Via sciencedaily.com...

The research team from the Geodynamics Department at the University of Granada and the Spanish Institute of Geology and Mining (which is part of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science) has studied the hydrogeology of the karst aquifers in the Mediterranean climate. It has been found that, contrary to popular belief, rivers do not act as insurmountable barriers for groundwater flow.

... more here.

Vandal attack on treasured cave

Via the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...

Police and Parks and Wildlife Officers are investigating vandalism at the entrance of one of Tasmania's premier underground caves.

... full text here.

Volunteers cleaning up bats' home

Via the Cincy Post...

Workers have found a lot of variety in the trash, from soft-drink cans to a cow skeleton, refrigerators and a 17-foot john boat, along with license plates from as far away as New Jersey.

... full text here.

Meghalaya's ancient caves crying for conservation

Via Indiaenews.com...

In the past decade, at least 1,000 ancient caves have been discovered in Meghalaya. Yet mushrooming cement factories and indiscriminate coal mining are posing a great threat to these fragile and little known natural wonders in this northeastern state.

... read the rest.

Ultima Patagonia 2006

Excellent 40 page PDF here on Federation Francaise de Speleologie's 2006 expedition to Patagonia's Madre de Dios archipelago. Scroll down for info on the 2008 expedition.

Conserving Caves

Assignment Earth goes underground with the Southeastern Cave Conservancy. Anyone know the location?

Mining Threatens Jamaica's Wildest Region

Via IPS News...

Public outcry eventually resulted in the suspension of the licence and brought the government to the discussion table last December.

Since then, there have been several meetings involving the ministry, the Cockpit Country Stakeholders Group, a coalition of community and green groups, and people who reside in and around the Cockpit Country. As recently as late March, Clarke declared that there will be no mining in the Cockpit Country and charted a harmonious path forward.

However, this path is contingent on an agreement on what constitutes the area of the Cockpit Country.

... more here.

The Mystery

Via the Herald Tribune.com...

We saw the river defying the laws of nature by flowing backward as it drained into a distributary that ends at a limestone formation called Dover sink.

"This was flowing yesterday," Patricia Metz, a hydrologist who has been studying the karst formations in the Peace River for the U.S. Geological Survey, said April 20. "This is deeper from last year. Every time I come here it's different."

... read more.