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Dates: From 30 Oct, 2010 till 03 Nov, 2010

Location: Denver, Colorado, USA

One of the karst-related topical sessions within the program of the Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA) in Denver will be: Topical Session T118: "Filling the Hole: Sedimentary Geology and Paleontology of Caves and Karst? Conveners: Ira Sasowsky Roy Plotnick THE DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACT SUBMISSION is 10 August 2010 This session will include talks on the sediments and fossils preserved in karst environments. Modern karst processes and deposits as well ancient deposits and processes are suitable. The focus is on clastic deposits, but studies of chemical deposits which fit the overall theme of infill records or mechanisms are welcomed. We seek contributions that examine both specific locations as well as general processes Karst terrains, both ancient and modern, are erosional landscapes in which large portions of the rock mass are removed. At the same time, the cavities and depressions produced by karstification can act as accommodation space for subsequent or coeval sediment accumulation. These fills can preserve portions of the stratigraphic record that might have been removed by subsequent erosion in the surface environment. In addition, cave sediments are rare but extremely important sources of well-preserved fossil materials, including some of the finest examples of Pleistocene and Holocene mammals, as well as Mississippian tetrapods and Pennsylvanian plants. Of particular interest is the extent to which cave sediments reflect surface environments and are modified by transport processes underground, i.e., the fidelity with which karst deposits can reflect environmental change. In addition, little is known about the taphonomic processes that govern preservation of organic remains within these unique environments. Finally, there has never been a synthetic overview session on either cave sedimentology or paleontology. It is the goal of the proposed session to bring together scientists from disparate disciplines to begin a dialog that will address these issues. To submit an abstract go to http://geosociety.org/meetings/2010/sessions/topical.asp and select T-118. Contact co-advocates Roy Plotnick (plotnick@uic.edu) & Ira Sasowsky (ids@uakron.edu) with questions Sponsored by: Paleontological Society; Karst Waters Institute; Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM); GSA Sedimentary Geology Division; GSA Archaeological Geology Division; GSA Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology Division; GSA Geobiology & Geomicrobiology Division

31 Dec, 1969 - 31 Dec, 1969,