Ezio Burri (1946-2021) De Waele, Jo
International journal of speleology,
09/2021, Letnik:
50, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
An obituary for Ezio Burri, the former Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Speleology (IJS), who died on July 2021 is presented. Besides being editor of IJS, Ezio has been the VP of the ...Italian Speleological Society, and an important founder and organizer of speleology in his own territory, Abruzzo.
About 15 % of the global ice-free continental surface is characterized by the presence of karstifiable carbonate rock. In Austria, about 20 % of the surface area consists of water-soluble rocks such ...as limestone or dolomite. Karstification may result in the formation of various cavities with varying size and distribution. Karst massifs are highly complex systems in which the water moves along different geological discontinuities that range in a broad spatial scale, from intragranular cracks (in the micro- to centimeter range) to fractures and cave systems, which can extend over kilometers. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) is widely used for cave detection, yet associated limitations have not been addressed so far. This study investigates subsurface conditions favoring the detection of cavities with ERT as well as the geological settings limiting the method. In a first step, we use a numerical study to evaluate the ability of the inversion method to recover the geometry of well-known resistivity anomalies, by varying the resistivity values of the host rock. Synthetic data is used to understand the contrasts required between the anomaly and the host rock. In a second step, we present extensive ERT data collected to delineate the geometry of the “Forststraß eneinbruch” cavity. This area is located near Lunz am See in the Northern Calcareous Alps and was first mentioned in December 2016 due to a sinkhole formed on a forest road. The geometry of the accessible parts of the cave was recorded using a speleological survey and could be used to evaluate the field results. Moreover, ERT result can be used to detect other cavities not found during the speleological survey. By using the speleological survey data we could create realistic models of the subsurface, from which synthetic data were derived to understand the ability of the inversion to retrieve a well-known model.
The ERT images show in general a good agreement with the known geometry of the cave and could be validated through the synthetic models and the further available information. However, the size of the anomalies point out to the presence of further caves. The synthetic results revealed that the resistive anomaly related to the cave is better resolved in presence of a resistive host rock. While decreasing the resistivity of the host rock leads to a decrease also in the sensitivity of the method to sense the cave, likely due to the ability of the current to easily move around the resistive anomaly.
•Possibilities and limitations of cave detection in karst regions using ERT.•Influence of soil, cave filling, and the resistivity of the host rock.•Parameter study by using different synthetic models.•Field study investigating a sinkhole formed in a forest road.
John Volanthen is a legendary British cave-diver and one of the two-man team who discovered and rescued the Wild Boars soccer team from the sunken cave in Tham Luang, Thailand. Thirteen Lessons that ...Saved Thirteen Lives is the deeply revealing and nail-biting account of that incredible rescue. Each chapter tells one part of the story from Tham Luang but also imparts a life lesson, gleaned from John's exploration and rescue efforts, that can be applied to everyday obstacles and challenges. We are in the cave with John and his story of how an average guy can do the unimaginable will inspire the superhero in us all.
In Ecuador there is a large number of caves, especially east of the Andean Mountains. However, knowledge about their fauna is scarce and dispersed. The objective of this study is to determine if ...there are differences among invertebrate communities that inhabit caves with different levels of speleotourism. Preliminary field trips were made from October 2016 to June 2017 to learn about the diversity of invertebrates. Subsequently, quantitative data of richness and abundance of species was taken in the months of October, November and December of 2017, using pitfall traps in three caves of the Napo province: Templo de Ceremonia, El Toglo and Mayanchi. 3004 individuals belonging to 55 morphospecies were collected, of which six are possibly troglobites. The non-metric multidimensional scaling and the Morisita-Horn index revealed differences in community structure that could be due to: the differences in frequency and intensity of flooding of the rivers that cross the caves, bat diversity, the amount of guano available and presence of geographical barriers between the caves. This study provides a baseline for the characterization of the invertebrate community of the Napo caves and highlights the need to continue sampling the invertebrate community to find new species, verify the state of conservation of the caves in the long term, and support with the training of guides and property owners to practice speleotourism in the caves in a sustainable and responsible manner.
En el Ecuador existe una gran cantidad de cuevas, sobre todo al este de la Cordillera de Los Andes. No obstante, el conocimiento acerca de su fauna es escaso y disperso. El objetivo de este estudio fue caracterizar y determinar si existen diferencias entre las comunidades de invertebrados que habitan las cuevas en la provincia del Napo. Se tomaron datos cuantitativos de riqueza y abundancia en los meses de octubre, noviembre y diciembre del 2017, utilizando trampas de caída en tres cuevas de la provincia del Napo: Templo de Ceremonia, El Toglo y Mayanchi. Se recolectaron 3 004 individuos pertenecientes a 55 morfoespecies, de las cuales seis posiblemente son troglobios. El análisis de escalamiento multidimensional e índice de Morisita-Horn, revelan que existen diferencias en la estructura de las comunidades, que podrían deberse a las diferencias en frecuencia e intensidad de las inundaciones de los ríos que atraviesan las cuevas, diversidad de murciélagos, la cantidad de guano disponible y la presencia de barreras geográficas entre las cuevas. Esta investigación provee una línea de base para la caracterización de la comunidad de invertebrados de las cuevas del Napo y destaca la necesidad de seguir muestreando la comunidad de invertebrados de las cuevas para encontrar nuevas especies y constatar el estado de conservación de las cuevas a largo plazo, y apoyar con la capacitación de guías y dueños de las propiedades para practiquen espeleoturismo en las cuevas de manera sostenible y responsable.
Quartz is considered one of the less soluble minerals of the Earth's crust, and thus hardly affected by chemical weathering. Despite this, for more than forty years, it is clear that the formation of ...caves and peculiar solutional weathering dominated landforms in quartz-rich lithologies is common and shares several similarities to the well-known karstic ones in carbonate rocks. In the last thirty years great strides have been made in furthering our knowledge of the distribution of these forms around the world, and the geochemical processes involved. These studies have clearly shown that solutional weathering is a fundamental process, acting through intergranular dissolution of quartz increasing the rock porosity and decreasing the rock strength to erosion. This process has been described in the concepts of ‘arenization’ and ‘phantomization’ and the widespread evidences of the fundamental role of quartz solution in landform genesis has even developed to the extent of several geomorphologists reassessing the definition of the term ‘karst’, and its application to these peculiar lithologies. Nonetheless the process is complicated by several factors, related both to environmental conditions (water chemistry and availability) as well as to the compositional and textural characters of the lithology (presence of clays, iron hydroxides, carbonate cement, etc.). All these aspects have to be taken carefully in consideration in order to understand if solution is a dominant or accessory process in the landscape evolution. In this review the state of knowledge on the relevant chemical processes, weathering mechanisms, and speleogenesisk involved in the surface and underground karstification, and clear examples of quartz solution and solutional landforms from different world locations, are outlined and discussed.
Encyclopedia of Caves is a self-contained, beautifully illustrated work dedicated to caves and their unique environments. It includes more than 100 comprehensive articles from leading scholars and ...explorers in 15 different countries. Each entry is detailed and scientifically sound, yet accessible for students and non-scientists. This large-format reference is enchanced with hundreds of full-color photographs, maps, and drawings from the authors' own work, which provide unique images of the underground environment.
Global in reach--authors are an international team of experts covering caves from around the worldIncludes 24 new articles commissioned especially for this 2nd edition Articles contain extensive bibliographies cross-referencing related essaysHundreds of color photographs, maps, charts and illustrations of cave features and biotaA-Z sequence and a comprehensive index allow for easy location of topics Glossary presents definitions of all key vocabulary items
During a survey of caves in a seasonally dry tropical forest area in northeastern Brazil, a new species of the genus Maxchernes was discovered and it is formally described here. The new species, ...named Maxchernes kapinawai sp. n., has affinities with M. iporangae, known from São Paulo State, Southeast Brazil. The new species, obtained from Pernambuco State, Northeastern Brazil, is characterized by the robust pedipalps, the measurements of pedipalpal femur, and patella different from other known Maxchernes species, in addition to the number of chelal teeth and males larger than females. This new species also represents the north-most record of Maxchernes genera so far. Ecological and conservation comments are included, as well as a map including reports known about the previous species.
http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A0E5D949-5441-4F02-A4BE-9BE51DFEEAFA
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