1. Geology and Geomorphology of Azokh Caves
- Author
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Domínguez Alonso, Patricio, Aracil Ávila, Enrique, Porres Benito, José Ángel, Andrews, Peter, Lynch, Edward P., Murray, John, Domínguez Alonso, Patricio, Aracil Ávila, Enrique, Porres Benito, José Ángel, Andrews, Peter, Lynch, Edward P., and Murray, John
- Abstract
Azokh Cave is located in the Lesser Caucasus and is hosted in Mesozoic limestone. It comprises a series of karstic cavities, chambers and passageways that interconnect to form a larger cave network, the trend of which appears to have been influenced by fracture patterns in the bedrock. The geomorphology of the currently accessible areas of the cave is presented, with many of its speleological features described in detail for the first time. Electrical resistivity tomography is used to examine variation in thickness of sediments infilling the inner chambers of the cave. This information, coupled with data relating to the surface topography of the cave infill, sheds light on patterns of sediment deposition within the cave system. It remains unclear whether the cave formed from epigenic or hypogenic speleological processes (or a combination of the two). This question is further hampered by the presence of a large bat population in the interior of the cave, the guano deposits of which have modified the inner galleries., We wish to thank the local people from Azokh Village for wholeheartedly supporting this endeavor, over a number of years and always making us feel welcome when we visit. In particular, Masis Ohanyan and Zorig Asryan very ably assisted us with the survey of the cave interior. The Royal Irish Academy is thanked for kindly granting permission to reproduce Fig. 3.1 (herein) from Murray et al. (2010). PDA, EA and JP acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Education (Projects BTE2000-1309, BTE2003-01552 and BTE 2007-66231).
- Published
- 2024