Ein mittelpleistozäner Aragonitstalagmit aus der B7-Höhle (NW-Sauerland, Nordrhein-Westfalen), 2006, Niggemann S. , Richter D. K.

An aragonitic stalagmite from the B7 cave in middle/upper Devonian massive limestones of the Rhenish Slate Mountains near Iserlohn is characterized using petrographic and geochemical methods. The primary composition with needle-and fan-shaped aragonite and contemporaneous local radiaxial-fibrous Mg-calcite indicates an elevated Mg/Ca ratio of the drip water at the time of stalagmite growth. This is apparently related to the calcitization of the dolomitic gallery, in which the broken sample was found, as also suggested by the rather high ?13C values. The stalagmite grew ca. 440,000 years ago, during a warm climate episode of Marine Isotope Stages 11-12, as determined by U/Th thermal ionization mass spectrometry. The origin of the phreatic cave gallery level 3 within the five-level cave system can thus be placed into at least the middle Pleistocene.

Late Pleistocene cryogenic calcite spherolites from the Malachitdom Cave (NE Rhenish Slate Mountains, Germany): origin, unusual internal structure and stable C-O isotope composition, 2008, Richter D. K. , Riechelmann D. F. Ch.

Cryogenic calcites yielded U-series ages in the range from 15.61±0.20 ka to 14.48±0.12 ka, which is the youngest age obtained so far for this type of cryogenic cave carbonates in Europe. Most of these particles of the Malachitdom Cave (NE Brilon, Sauerland, North Rhine-Westphalia) are complex spherolites usually smaller than 1 cm. They show ?13C-values between –1 and –5 ‰ VPDB and ?18O-values ranging from –7 to –16 ‰ VPDB, the ?13C-values increase and the ?18O-values decrease from centre to border. The complex spherolites are interpreted to be formed in slowly freezing pools of residual water on ice, a situation that repeatedly occurred during the change of glacial to interglacial periods in the periglacial areas of Central Europe. After the melting of the caveice, the complex pherolites make up one type of cryogenic calcite particles in the arenitic to ruditic sediment.

Late Pleistocene cryogenic calcite spherolites from the Malachitdom Cave (NE Rhenish Slate Mountains, Germany): origin, unusual internal structure and stable C-O isotope composition, 2008, Richter D. K. , Riechelmann D. F. Ch.

Cryogenic calcites yielded U-series ages in the range from 15.61±0.20 ka to 14.48±0.12 ka, which is the youngest age obtained so far for this type of cryogenic cave carbonates in Europe. Most of these particles of the Malachitdom Cave (NE Brilon, Sauerland, North Rhine-Westphalia) are complex spherolites usually smaller than 1 cm. They show δ13C-values between –1 and –5 ‰ VPDB and δ18O-values ranging from –7 to –16 ‰ VPDB, the δ13C-values increase and the δ18O-values decrease from centre to border. The complex spherolites are interpreted to be formed in slowly freezing pools of residual water on ice, a situation that repeatedly occurred during the change of glacial to interglacial periods in the periglacial areas of Central Europe. After the melting of the caveice, the complex spherolites make up one type of cryogenic calcite particles in the arenitic to ruditic sediment.