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Volume 29(2), 2002

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Front cover
  • De Hoop karst, Western Cape, South Africa
  • Geology and archaeology in Mongolia
  • Djara Cave, Western Desert, Egypt
  • Peak Cavern, Derbyshire, UK
  • The Kingsdale reindeer, UK
  • Symposium abstracts
  • Forum

Cover photo by Tony Waltham: The White Desert of Farafra, in the same part of the Egyptian Western Desert as Djara Cave (see paper in this issue), displays spectacular karst landforms in pure white chalk. The features shown here are up to about 15m tall and are fine examples of relict towers, formed during past wetter climatic conditions, now degraded in the modern desert.

Editorial

(Gunn, J. & D. Lowe (eds))
Editorial
None

Papers

(Marker, M.E. & S.A. Craven)
The karst of the De Hoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa
Vol 29 (2) pp 51 - 56
Abstract: The De Hoop Vlei Reserve and adjacent areas, only 150km east of Cape Town, support an important coastal karst, which is developed on Tertiary dune limestones. A high density of enclosed hollows with some dry valleys constitute the surface karst. Shallow caves are localised. The complexity of enclosed hollow plan-form increases with altitude and therefore with the age of the limestone surface. A pitting index is given as a measure of difference between areas of difering karst age. There is also evidence for syngenetic karst development of both valleys and hollows.
(Brook, G.A., N.S. Embabi, M.M. Ashour, R.L. Edwards, Hai Cheng, J.B. Cowart & A.A. Dabous)
Djara Cave in the Western Desert of Egypt:
morphology and evidence of Quaternary climatic change
Vol 29 (2) pp 57 - 66
Abstract: With stalactites, columns, stalagmites and flowstones up to 6m high and 1.5m diameter, Djara Cave in the Western Desert is one of the very few well-decorated caves in Egypt. U-series ages for four speleothems (140 16, 201 2 / 233 24, 221 34, and 283 56Ka) suggest humid intervals during marine isotope stages 5 and 7, and possibly also during stage 9. Importantly, none of the secondary carbonates date to the Holocene, despite archaeological evidence both in the cave, and on the ground surface above it, of visits to the site by ancient peoples, and of a more humid period of climate from about 11.5 to 6.5Ka. 18 O of speleothem carbonate averaged -12.1 PDB, indicating deposition by meteoric waters significantly depleted in 18 O. Using 18 O PDB of speleothem carbonate, and 18 O SMOW of ancient groundwater in the Nubian aquifer, the mean annual temperature at the time of speleothem deposition is estimated to have been 23.1C, which is 1C above the present mean annual temperature at the Farafra and Baharya oases. In Israel and Oman, modern speleothem carbonate is less depleted in 18 O than Holocene-age material, and this in turn is less depleted than carbonate deposited during isotope stage 5. This suggests that in these areas the Holocene was wetter than the present but not as wet as during marine isotope stage 5. At Djara Cave, the absence of speleothem deposits of Holocene age also suggests that this period was not as wet as during earlier interglacials. The 18 O-depleted waters from which the Djara speleothems were deposited appear to have originated in air masses that crossed North Africa from west to east at a time when there was a more southerly westerly airflow than now.
(Pringle, J.K., A.R. Westerman, A. Schmidt, J. Harrison, D. Shandley, J. Beck, R.E. Donahue & A.R. Gardiner)
Investigating Peak Cavern, Castleton, Derbyshire, UK:
Integrating cave survey, geophysics, geology and archaeology to create a 3D digital CAD model
Vol 29 (2) pp 67 - 74
Abstract: Non-destructive geophysical imaging techniques have been applied to the sedimentary deposits within reputedly the largest cave entrance chamber in Western Europe. The Vestibule of Peak Cavern is thought to have been the site of human habitation since the Late Palaeolithic. However, the depth of the cave floor, the sedimentology and the archaeology of the cave fill were all uncertain. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is shown to produce good quality images of dry cave deposits and underlying limestone cave floors. The GPR images show the sedimentological and archaeological distribution of the cave-fill, identify buried 'houses' and allow the mostly buried cave floor to be mapped. GPR and ground resistivity images combined with a Total Station survey of cave topography in a 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) model. By combining the several independent lines of evidence within the model, the cave floor can be mapped. Further analysis of the CAD model has been used to address geological, speleological and archaeological issues. A follow-up data acquisition program could now be designed to improve the extent and quality of the GPR imagery in order to answer specific questions. Based upon this investigation and recent literature, the oldest deposits, with the Vestibule cave fill, are predicted to be located at the highest level. A 3D-GPR survey is recommended to define the stratigraphy of any lateral accretion surfaces within the cave fill and the effects of human activity in partially remodelling them.
(Komatsu, G. & J.W. Olsen)
Geological and archaeological exploration of caves in Mongolia
Vol 29 (2) pp 75 - 86
Abstract: Mongolia is a country with great cave potential. Carbonate rocks are widely distributed all over the country. With the advent of satellite remote sensing, their distribution can now be mapped in detail and access to the sites assessed before field invesitgations are initiated. Khovsgol aimag, one of Mongolia's northern provinces bordering Russia, has the most extensive carbonate outcrops. Many caves exist in these carbonate rocks but there are also caves in granitic intrusive rocks in this region. The majority of known caves in Khovsgol aimag are less than 10m long and 10m wide. The general absence of known large caves can be attributed to deformation of host rocks, blockages of passages and entrances by ice and/or water, burial, the reluctance of local residents to inform foreign visitors about caves, and the scarcity of speleologists in Mongolia. It is also rare for these caves to contain evidence of prehistoric and historic occupation by humans, despite the fact that there are many open-air Palaeolithic and Neolithic sites in the area. This is hypothesized as being due to caves' location with respect to sources of high-quality raw materials for stone tools, and the general lack of access to water. Investigation of caves in Khovsgol aimag is in its infancy, and it is quite possible that large caves of scientific importance will be discovered in the future. The situation is very different with respect to caves in the Gobi-Altai ranges of southern Mongolia, where large caves containing rich archaeological assemblages are known. Among them, Tsagaan Agui and Chikhen Agui in Bayan Khongor aimag have been the most intensively studied, yielding evidence of human occupation at least as early as the Mid Palaeolithic. The palaeoenvironment of the Gobi-Altai region must have been ameliorated to have allowed occupation by human ancestors.

Reports

(Murphy, P.J., T. Lord & D.B. Brook)
The Kingsdale reindeer revisited
Vol 29 (2) pp 87 - 89
Abstract: Limited surviving evidence for the occurrence in the West Kingsdale Master Cave of reindeer bones, deriving from a species supposedly extinct for 8000 years, is re-examined and described. Indisputable examples of reindeer remains recovered from other caves in northwest Yorkshire are discussed. The nature and ages of these specimens, when compared to recently collected bone samples from the West Kingsdale System and a photograph of some of the original Master Cave finds, cast doubt upon the reliability of the West Kingsdale reindeer identification.

Symposium Abstract

Abstracts of the 14th BCRA Cave Science Symposium,
School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol,
March 2003
Vol 29 (2) pp 91 - 94

Forum

Correspondence: Hromnik, C., The meaning of kras (Cigna, A.A)
Vol 29 (2) p 95
Comments on the paper: Smith, H., P.J. Wood & J. Gunn, 2001
"The macroinvertebrate communities of limestone springs in the Wye Valley Vol 28 (2) (Le Bas, B.)
Vol 29 (2) pp 95 - 96
Correspondence: The depth of Gaping Gill main shaft (Forder, J.)
Vol 29 (2) p 96

Thesis Abstracts

Devlin, R. 2002,
The situation and dynamics of the North Yorkshire windypits:
A geophysical and geomorphological investigation
Vol 29 (2) p 96

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