See more from this Division: Topical Sessions
See more from this Session: Hypogenic Karst: Shedding Light on Once Poorly Understood Hydrologic and Morphologic Features
Abstract:
The overall pattern of cave development shows strong linear trends that are correlative to linear features seen in aerial photographs and geologic maps. These features are consistent with broader structural trends in the Guadalupe Mountains and reflect fracturing, faulting, and folding during uplift. Some anticlinal features reflect deposition of Permian sediments across syndepositional faults. Many of these syndepositional faults can be observed in the caves and exhibit a strong influence on both overall passage trends and on passage character.
There are large breccia zones associated with syndepositional faults. In these areas, cave passages typically change from large, linear trunk passages to complex three-dimensional mazes of smaller passages. Forereef deposits, paleokarst, and paleochannels through the reef can also be preserved as breccia zones and have a similar effect on passage character.
While overall speleogenesis crossed formational boundaries, lithology had some influence on passage character. The backreef units contain more rectilinear maze-type passages than the underlying reef and forereef units, probably reflecting more tightly-spaced fracturing and greater porosity. Large trunk passage development is prevalent in the Capitan formation, especially along the reef/forereef transition. Other facies changes exhibit significant, but more localized controls on passage character. In some backreef units, Permian tepee structures control the shape and orientation of some cave passages. Variations in reef facies, cementation, and dolomitization may also exhibit some localized influence on passage character.
See more from this Division: Topical Sessions
See more from this Session: Hypogenic Karst: Shedding Light on Once Poorly Understood Hydrologic and Morphologic Features