Discussion of Possible Outcomes

October 29, 2022

Understanding the relationship between trace metal fractionation in dripwaters and plate calcite will improve insight into  epikarst and in-cave processes, including soil moisture content, prior calcite precipitation, and speleothem growth rate. As PCP occurs in the epikarst, calcium is preferentially included into the calcite lattice, effectively increasing the TE/Ca ratio in remaining dripwater. PCP occurs much more in seasons where calcite growth is common, so the TE/CA ratios should be highest in dripwaters in the winter if PCP is to be cited as the cause for the seasonal banding observed in the speleothem record. If PCP is the cause of these bands, it directly relates to soil moisture in the epikarst, which could allow us to evaluate aridity changes over time as a function of band thickness. This could allow us to evaluate speleothem banding over local geographic areas to understand climate change in the past, as well as enable us to examine dripwater over those same areas to quantify climate change impacts in the present and future.

This project is a starting point for further research of trace element fractionation in epikarst in caves. More studies are needed to quantify soil and bedrock compositions to understand the fractionation occurring between initial dissolution and percolation as dripwater. Furthermore, other proxies, better at determining temperature, can be used to confirm a lack of fractionation driven by temperature and other in-cave factors.