Sulfur (³⁴S/³²S) isotope composition of gypsum and implications for deep cave formation on the Nullarbor Plain, Australia
Large deep caves with little relation to surface topography are distinctive karst features on the Nullarbor Plain of Australia. The presence of gypsum deposits and chemoautotrophic bacteria within the caves have been suggested as evidence for cave formation and (or) enlargement via sulfuric acid spe...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Società Speleologica Italiana
2019
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/76475 |
| _version_ | 1848763696400039936 |
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| author | Lipar, M. Ferk, M. Lojen, S. Barham, Milo |
| author_facet | Lipar, M. Ferk, M. Lojen, S. Barham, Milo |
| author_sort | Lipar, M. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Large deep caves with little relation to surface topography are distinctive karst features on the Nullarbor Plain of Australia. The presence of gypsum deposits and chemoautotrophic bacteria within the caves have been suggested as evidence for cave formation and (or) enlargement via sulfuric acid speleogenesis. To test this hypothesis, the stable sulfur isotope compositions (δ34S) of both cave gypsum and surface gypsum were measured. Analyses yielded relatively high, positive δ34S values from both cave gypsum and surface gypsum, arguing against gypsum genesis via microbial chemoautotrophy, and more broadly, sulfuric acid speleogenesis. Instead, the gypsum is interpreted as forming via evaporation of seawater during the Quaternary. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:07:34Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-76475 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:07:34Z |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| publisher | Società Speleologica Italiana |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-764752019-10-11T03:48:08Z Sulfur (³⁴S/³²S) isotope composition of gypsum and implications for deep cave formation on the Nullarbor Plain, Australia Lipar, M. Ferk, M. Lojen, S. Barham, Milo Large deep caves with little relation to surface topography are distinctive karst features on the Nullarbor Plain of Australia. The presence of gypsum deposits and chemoautotrophic bacteria within the caves have been suggested as evidence for cave formation and (or) enlargement via sulfuric acid speleogenesis. To test this hypothesis, the stable sulfur isotope compositions (δ34S) of both cave gypsum and surface gypsum were measured. Analyses yielded relatively high, positive δ34S values from both cave gypsum and surface gypsum, arguing against gypsum genesis via microbial chemoautotrophy, and more broadly, sulfuric acid speleogenesis. Instead, the gypsum is interpreted as forming via evaporation of seawater during the Quaternary. 2019 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/76475 10.5038/1827-806X.48.1.2196 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Società Speleologica Italiana fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Lipar, M. Ferk, M. Lojen, S. Barham, Milo Sulfur (³⁴S/³²S) isotope composition of gypsum and implications for deep cave formation on the Nullarbor Plain, Australia |
| title | Sulfur (³⁴S/³²S) isotope composition of gypsum and implications for deep cave formation on the Nullarbor Plain, Australia |
| title_full | Sulfur (³⁴S/³²S) isotope composition of gypsum and implications for deep cave formation on the Nullarbor Plain, Australia |
| title_fullStr | Sulfur (³⁴S/³²S) isotope composition of gypsum and implications for deep cave formation on the Nullarbor Plain, Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sulfur (³⁴S/³²S) isotope composition of gypsum and implications for deep cave formation on the Nullarbor Plain, Australia |
| title_short | Sulfur (³⁴S/³²S) isotope composition of gypsum and implications for deep cave formation on the Nullarbor Plain, Australia |
| title_sort | sulfur (³⁴s/³²s) isotope composition of gypsum and implications for deep cave formation on the nullarbor plain, australia |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/76475 |