MINERALOGICAL, GEOCHEMICAL AND MICROMORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CALCITE PRECIPITATED FROM A THIN COVER OF RECENT WATER TAKEN FROM THE STALAGMITES IN KÜPELI CAVE, ESENPINAR (ERDEMLI, MERSIN), SOUTHERN TURKEY

Abstract

Küpeli cave in southern Turkey (UTM: 36.606085 °N, 34.114917 °E, 742 m asl) shows recent stalagmite development at several points beneath dripping water on a stack of blocks due to collapse of the cave ceiling. Calcite precipitated from water supersaturated with respect to CaCO₃ under the surface conditions taken from a thin cover of water on the upper surface of stalagmites was analysed using the several analytical techniques, including XRD, DTA-TG, IR, ICP-OES and MS and stable isotope analyses. The results revealed that the precipitated material consists almost entirely of calcite. In the SEM images, the precipitate is composed mainly of euhedral to subhedral equant calcite crystals with size of 5-10 µmand an interwoven mass of calcite filaments. Stable isotope values of the calcite (δ¹⁸O = –3.81 ‰ V-PDB and δ¹³C = –6.92 ‰ V-PDB) indicate precipitation from meteoric soil water. The crystalline fabric of the precipitate points out inorganic precipitation whereas filamentous forms suggest calcified green algae at advance stage of evaporation. 

Keywords

• Newly Forming Calcite
• Mineralogy
• Micromorphology
• Geochemistry
• Küpeli Cave
• Southern Turkey

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