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A flowstone section in the Račiška pečina Cave (Classical Karst, SW Slovenia) records multiple chronostratigraphic and palaeoclimatic proxies that can be correlated with other records on the global scale (Mediterranean region, Japan). Its upper part has an excellent record of the Matuyama/Brunhes (M/B) magnetic reversal. The M/B reversal zone, which is 6 mm in thickness, was detected by a high-resolution palaeomagnetic analysis of the sequence. An age model based on oxygen isotopic stratigraphy locates this quick transition in mid-MIS 19, between 777.9 and 777.2 ka, with the midpoint at 777.7 ka. The transition is marked by abrupt changes in stable isotopic compositions, trace element concentrations and flowstone fabrics that point to temperature and precipitation changes. Two distinct maxima in trace element concentrations at the beginning and the end of the M/B transition indicate two periods of higher precipitation, with increased washes of clay minerals into the cave. In addition, the stable isotopic (δ13C and δ18O) compositions indicate that significant cooling and high precipitation occurred during the M/B reversal within the generally warm MIS 19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypogene caves in the Plavecký hradný vrch Hill (Western Slovakia, Central Europe) were formed by waters ascending along faults in fractured Triassic carbonates related to the horst-graben structure at the contact of the Malé Karpaty Mountains and the NE part of the Vienna Basin. The Plavecká jaskyňa and Pec caves mostly contain horizontal passages and chambers with flat corrosion bedrock floors, fissure discharge feeders, wall water-table notches, replacement pockets, as well as a few other speleogens associated with sulfuric acid speleogenesis. The low-temperature sulfuric acid development phases of the Plavecká Jaskyňa are also indicated by the presence of sulfate minerals (i.e., gypsum and jarosite). Subaerial calcite popcorn rims were precipitated from water condensation at the edges of feeding fissures that were still active as thermal vents when the water table dropped. Hydrogen sulfide involved in the sulfuric acid speleogenesis was likely derived from anhydrites and/or hydrocarbon reservoirs with sulfate-saline connate waters in the fill of the adjacent Vienna Basin. It ascended to the surface along deep-rooted sub-vertical fault zones at the contact of the Vienna Basin with neighboring mountains. Three cave levels at 295 to 283 m asl in the Pec Cave, and five levels at 225 to 214 m asl in the Plavecká jaskyňa corresponded to phases of stable local erosional base levels in the bordering part of the Vienna Basin, most likely during periods of strongly decelerated and/or interrupted subsidence. Cave levels separated by vertical differences of only a few meters may also be related to the Pleistocene climatic cycles. The subhorizontal parts of the Pec Cave are probably of late Early Pleistocene age (>0.99-1.07 Ma?). The two highest levels of the Plavecká jaskyňa developed during the early Middle Pleistocene (>600 ka). Fine-grained sediments in the passage at 225 m asl with normal magnetic polarity contain jarosite. The middle level of the Plavecká jaskyňa at 220 m asl was formed in the mid-Middle Pleistocene, while the lower and lowermost levels formed in the late Middle Pleistocene (>270 ka). The water table in the lowermost cave level probably dropped after the tectonic reactivation of the Podmalokarpatská zníženina Depression just in the front of a marginal horst structure of the Malé Karpaty Mountains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SC-3 speleothem from Szczelina Chochołowska Cave, located in the Tatra Mountains, was studied in detail. U-series dating and age–depth modeling allowed us to constrain the period of speleothem growth to between approximately 330 and 200 ka, that is, during Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 9–7. The complementary use of stable isotope analyses, petrographic studies, and trace element analyses allowed the identification of warm and wet climatic conditions that were favorable for speleothem growth during MIS 9e and MIS 9c. Unfavorable climatic periods included the cold glacial conditions of MIS 8 and the MIS 9/MIS 8 transition. The breaks in the growth of the SC-3 stalagmite were most likely connected with a reduction in precipitation in MIS 9a and extreme hydrologic events during MIS 8. Comparisons with other European records suggest that the climatic variability recorded in the speleothem from the Tatra Mountains is not only a record of local environmental conditions but can also be linked to European climatic patterns during both interglacial and glacial intervals. This makes our study the northernmost paleoclimatic record for the whole Carpathian range and one of the very few records from those periods worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wet-based mountain glaciers are efficient agents of erosion, which leads to the assumption that each glacial episode results in successive valley deepening. The tendency of subsequent glaciations to obscure evidence of previous events makes it difficult to study the work done by past glacial episodes. Epiphreatic and paleophreatic caves that developed at or under the water table and dried out in response to valley deepening can serve as recorders of the valley incision history. U-series data from speleothems in the cave networks at the base of the present-day valleys in the Tatra Mountains (Western Carpathians) consistently yield the oldest ages of ca. 325 ka. While speleothem ages are typically phreatic-vadose transition minimum ages, they nonetheless unequivocally demonstrate that neither glacial valley deepening nor fluvial incision occurred over the past 300 ka, unlike the successive valley deepening over the same period in the adjacent Alps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five stalagmites from the Demänová Cave System (DCS, Western Carpathians, Slovakia), spanning the period from 13,000 to 500 a BP, were analyzed for their oxygen and carbon stable isotopic composition of the calcite. The isotopic data obtained from several stalagmites located in one cave system allow us to separate the changes of regional/global importance from the local changes. Oxygen isotope ratios point to dynamic changes in the environment at the onset of the Holocene. Despite the local differences, carbon isotope data express the gradual and steady development of vegetation on the surface above the cave from the beginning of the Holocene until 6,000 a BP. The oxygen isotope values in the DCS stalagmites are higher than that derived from the Rayleigh distillation model until approximately 9,000 a BP, suggesting (1) an increase in the isotopic gradient to the east of Europe, probably caused by a different seasonality in precipitation amount or (2) different sources of meteoric water, transported from the Mediterranean and Black Sea region, in Central and Eastern Europe compared to the Western, circum-Atlantic part of the continent. The younger part of the DCS records falls in the range described by the model and points to the increasing role of the westerlies in the determination of the climatic conditions of Central Europe during middle- and late-Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed analyses of speleothems collected in caves of the Demänová Valley, Nízke Tatry, Slovakia, have found significant variability in uranium concentrations and initial 234U/238U activity ratios, plus correlation between these variables. They are related to the ages of samples and their differing locations in the caves. Strong variability of initial 234U/238U activity ratios is the reason for serious limitations in applying the 234U/238U Regional Uranium Best Estimate method as an age estimator for speleothems older than the range of the 230Th/234U method (500 ka). The strong variability of uranium contents in speleothems, rocks and waters and their isotopic compositions allowed us to distinguish distinct periods with changes in water circulation paths or distribution/weathering degrees of deposits in surface alimentation areas or in the epikarst zone, that result from the more ready leaching of the 234U isotope from sediments. Periods characterised with higher initial 234U/238U activity ratios are most likely associated with the deposition of "fresh" colluvial deposits and/or soil development (potential uranium source) in the alimentation area. Gradual decrease of initial 234U/238U activity values indicate prolonged stable weathering and uranium leaching conditions. The Demänová results indicate periods of intensive erosion and "fresh" sediment deposition in the alimentation areas at ~120 ka, ~80-70 ka, and during the Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Karst systems can control the amount of water flowing on the surface and thus the fluvial erosional efficiency. Here, we used the ages of speleothems from the active cave system to determine the middle Pleistocene history of the entrenchment of the Demänová Valley. By referencing the vertical position of fluvially active and inactive cave passages to the valley bottom, we estimated the deceleration magnitude of the valley incision due to karst drainage through the Demänová Cave System. The well-developed karst system captures a significant volume of surface water and reduces surface erosion. This, in turn, causes a delay in the incision of the valley drained by the caves in comparison to the downstream positions (below the springs of sinking waters), where river-driven erosion dominates. Karst drainage has reduced the erosional efficiency in the inflow part of the Demänová Valley due to a hydraulic gradient among inputs and outputs of allochthonous waters, mostly during the middle and late Pleistocene. The cave level that contains the active underground segment of the Demänovka River, previously dated to ~350 ka, definitely existed earlier than 600 ka. The period from approximately 600 to 395 ± 5 kyr ago was characterized by relatively stable conditions with continuous deposition of flowstones, regardless of the climate episodes, including several glacial–interglacial cycles. • Relatively old age of fluvially active cave level • Long time of continuous speleothem growth, also during cold MIS • Average incision rate of valley floor from 64 to 83 m/Ma • Surface erosion delayed due to capture of water by a cave [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A complex of inactive tufas, the thickness of which reaches 3.5 m, was studied in the lowermost segment of the Sąspowska Valley in the Kraków Upland (Ojców National Park, Poland). Five fluvial tufa barrages were recognized. They are composed of moss tufa and stromatolitic tufa accompanied with oncoidal rudstone and detrital tufa. Interbarrage ponded areas were filled with detrital tufa, lutite, and subordinately oncoidal rudstone, limestone gravel and peat-like deposit. Radiocarbon dates suggest that the tufa formed during Subboreal, Boreal and Atlantic time. The main difference between the tufa in the Sąspowska Valley and contemporaneous tufas in other valleys of the Kraków Upland is the higher amount of non-carbonate fraction in the former. Other Lower and Middle Holocene tufas of the Kraków Upland are composed mainly or exclusively of carbonate fraction. The non-carbonate fraction in fluviatile tufas in the Sąspowska Valley resulted from erosion of loess cover in the upper part of the catchment. The erosion was related to local activity of Neolithic flint miners who cleared forest at a local scale, dug shafts in loess cover and exploited flints from underlying weathered residuum of Jurassic limestone. Consequently, they made copious amounts of loose material available for transport down the valley and subsequent trapping within the tufa depositional system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fossil bones are often the only material that may be dated by numerical methods. A commonly accepted method of bone dating is the radiocarbon method, but radiocarbon dating is limited to material younger than 40–60 ka. To date, direct dating of bone samples by U-series methods has not been successful because of post-depositional uranium uptake. This paper tests the use of U-series dating of bones in a new way by dating the collagen extracted from fossil bones. Low uranium content in collagen extracted from recent and fossil bones suggests that no uranium accumulates in this bone phase. Ratios of C/N, commonly used as an indicator of bone preservation, were also measured here. Modern bones and bone collagen showed 230 Th activity at background levels, confirming their recent age. U-series and radiocarbon methods applied to collagen extracted from fossil bone of Ursus spelaeus collected in Magurska Cave (Tatra Mts, Poland) gave consistent results. Analyses of collagen extracted from bones collected in Bisnik Cave (Kraków-Wielun Upland, Poland) indicate that there is a high risk of contamination by modern material, especially when working with large samples close to the dating method limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rodent remains are potentially a powerful tool in paleoecological reconstructions. Rodents are a worldwide group of mammals inhabiting all climatic zones, from arctic tundra to tropical forests. Some of their representatives have narrow ranges of environmental tolerance, while others have cosmopolitan distributions. Additionally, rodent remains are well preserved and numerous in cave sediments, and are easily identified to the species level. The species composition of rodent assemblage from the specific cave gives valuable data on ecosystem status around the site. Moreover, isotopic composition (C, N) of rodent remains provides information on some environmental factors, e.g. type of vegetation, soil activity, precipitation, and temperature. The material for this study was collected from the sediments of the Biśnik Cave (Poland). The cave is known from its sediment sequence deposited during the middle and late Pleistocene and Holocene, containing a rich collection of the Pleistocene fauna remains and archeological artifacts. The stratigraphy of the sediment sequence previously was based on archeological findings and several radiometric dates. In this study, we applied U–Th dating method to bone collagen, rodent tooth enamel, and cave bear tooth enamel. Finally, we revised the chronology of sediment sequence from the Biśnik Cave based on these new data. We found significantly higher variability of nitrogen and carbon isotopic composition in the lemming than in the common vole. However, both species show the same trends in isotopic composition of nitrogen in time. At the beginning of the record, δ 15 N values were relatively high, suggesting intensive soil activity and, indirectly, mild climate. After that, from a stratigraphic layer dated to the early Würm glaciation, lower δ 15 N values point to lower soil activity. Deterioration of ecosystem productivity and climate conditions were also confirmed by higher δ 13 C. This indicates lower canopy effect and suggests conversion of vegetation around the cave. The isotopic record suggests high instability of the environmental conditions during the Würm glaciations, with significantly warmer periods before and after the Last Glacial Maximum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A colluvial origin is postulated for the enigmatic relic mantle of immature, carbonate-cemented rudites on the bedrock slope of Kraków Highland, preserved in the area of Kwaczała Gullies. The deposits comprise four sedimentary facies: (A) sporadic clast-supported openwork conglomerates; (B) predominant matrix-supported massive conglomerates, some with a coarse-tail normal grading; (C) subordinate sheets of parallel stratified and/or ripple cross-laminated fine-grained sandstones; and (D) local coarse-grained sandstones with gently inclined parallel stratification. The 230Th–U dating of sparry calcite cements points to the penultimate Odranian/Warthanian interglacial. The debris was derived from local bedrock, inferred to have been frost-shattered in permafrost conditions during the Odranian glacial. Colluvial resedimentation was triggered by the rapid change in environment conditions brought by early deglaciation. Dense-snow/slush flows and slush-laden watery debris flows are thought to have transferred limestone debris from the upper to middle hillslope, where siliciclastic sand matrix was incorporated and solifluctional creep prevailed, accompanied by slope sheetwash processes. Carbonate cementation of the talus occurred in phreatic conditions during the penultimate Odranian/Warthanian interglacial (marine isotope stage 7), when soils formed and local springs supplied carbonate-saturated groundwater. The patchy preservation of cemented colluvium indicates its erosional relics. The Pleistocene colluvial mantle in the Kraków Highland was probably extensive, but was removed by subsequent erosion where non-cemented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Crimean Peninsula is an extraordinary region located on the border between Europe and Asia. Its location made it an important refuge for migratory animals during the entire Pleistocene. The red deer (Cervus elaphus) was one of the most abundant species among large herbivores in the Crimean region. Its numerous remains were found in several cave sites, including the Emine-Bair-Khosar Cave. The bone-bearing sediments in the cave were deposited from MIS 3 to the beginning of the Holocene, with a significant hiatus during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). These two facts made it possible to reconstruct the climate changes and plant succession during the last 40,000 years. To recognise these processes, we studied the isotopic composition of carbon and nitrogen of collagen from red deer bones deposited in this trap cave. At the beginning, the δ15Ncoll values varied widely, suggesting a relatively high proportion of grass in the red deer diet. The high 15N concentrations were correlated with relatively high δ13Ccoll values. This part of the sequence was probably deposited during a relatively warm and dry period (MIS 3) when steppe was the dominant vegetation type. Later, the δ15Ncoll values decreased significantly and the δ13Ccoll remained basically unchanged. The prominent decrease in the soil activity suggests a climate deterioration and tundra development during MIS 2, before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). After LGM, during the Late Glacial, the δ13Ccoll declined and the δ15Ncoll significantly increased, reflecting milder climate conditions and, probably, spread of forest near the cave. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Two speleothems from the Demänova Cave of Liberty, located in the Low Tatras in Slovakia, were studied in detail. Age-depth modelling based on U-series dating allowed us to constrain the growth period for both speleothems to between approximately 375 and 157 ka. Based on a multiproxy approach, it was possible to identify periods with dominant warm climatic conditions, which enabled long and continuous speleothem growth during most of the marine isotope stage (MIS) 9 and in MIS 7c. Unfavourable for speleothem growth climate included glacial conditions, such as in MIS 10 or MIS 8, and periods connected with diminished rainfall or lower temperature such as in MIS 9b, MIS 7e or MIS 7b. The growth interruptions of the speleothems are related to maximum glacial episodes like in MIS 10a and late MIS 6, or were connected with a decrease in rainfall in MIS 9a and cold, harsh climate conditions in MIS 7d. The obtained records suggest relatively mild glacial periods (MIS 8 and MIS 10) and warm interglacial periods (MIS 9 and MIS 7) enabling long periods of speleothem growth. Gathered results indicate a large diversity of climate conditions during MIS 7, with atypical MIS 7d major stadial occurring within the interglacial complex. Compared records also showed the important role of local factors and changes in the alimentation area, which affected the isotopic composition of speleothem and may cause significant differences in the isotope records from the same cave system, especially during intense climate changes. • A history of climatic changes from two Low Tatras speleothems. • Stable isotope and trace element records covering the MIS 11a – MIS 6c period. • The climate conditions of MIS 10, MIS 8 and MIS 6 enable speleothem growth. • A large diversity of paleoclimate conditions during MIS 7 was recorded in speleothem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold Wind Cave, located at elevations ranging between 1,600 and 1,700 m a. s. l. in the main range of the Nízke Tatry Mountains (Slovakia), is linked in origin with the adjacent Dead Bats Cave. Together, these caves form a major cave system located within a narrow tectonic slice of Triassic sediments. Both caves have undergone complex multiphase development. A system of sub-horizontal cave levels characterized by large, tunnel-like corridors was formed during the Tertiary, when elevation differences surrounding the cave were less pronounced than today. The central part of the Nízke Tatry Mountains, together with the cave systems, was uplifted during the Neogene and Lower Pleistocene, which changed the drainage pattern of the area completely. The formation of numerous steep-sloped vadose channels and widespread cave roof frost shattering characterized cave development throughout the Quaternary. In the Cold Wind Cave, extensive accumulations of loose, morphologically variable crystal aggregates of secondary cave carbonate ranging in size between less than 1 mm to about 35 mm was found on the surface of fallen limestone blocks. Based on the C and O stable isotope compositions of the carbonate (δ13C: 0.72 to 6.34 ‰, δ18O: -22.61 to -13.68 ‰ V-PDB) and the negative relation between δ13C and δ18O, the carbonate crystal aggregates are interpreted as being cryogenic cave carbonate (CCC). Published models suggest the formation of CCC in slowly freezing water pools, probably on the surface of cave ice, most probably during transitions from stadials to interstadials. Though the formation of these carbonates is likely one of the youngest events in the sequence of formation of cave sediments of the studied caves, the 230Th/234U ages of three samples (79.7±2.3, 104.0±2.9, and 180.0±6.3 ka) are the oldest so far obtained for CCC in Central Europe. This is the first description of CCC formation in one cave during two glacial periods (Saalian and Weichselian). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The U-series dating indicates five episodes of flowstone growth in Brestovská Cave, namely: ca. 200 ka, ca. 128-88 ka, ca. 82-65 ka, ca. 64-50 ka, and during the Holocene. The age of flowstones and their spatial distribution within the cave prove that the upper storey of the cave was dewatered before 200 ka. At that time the lower storey also existed and was able to carry the whole water flowing through the cave. It suggests that 200 ka ago the water-table was at similar level as it is at present. Hence, one should accept that the valley bottom was then also at the present level. During at least a part of the MIS 6 the growth of speleothems was possible in the cave. It suggests that the cave was located outside the permafrost zone then. Between 50 ka and Holocene, Brestovská Cave was flooded by invasion waters originating from the melting of the Würm glacier; the water-table was additionally raised due to the blockage of a resurgence by glacifluvial sediments. The flooding event caused the destruction of older deposits, including speleothems, and deposition of fine-grained clastics on the cave walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the black coloured laminae which occur within speleothems in Domica cave (Slovakia). The laminae are composed of non completely carbonized organic compounds and charcoal particles. The components were formed during combustion of plant material, mainly wood, inside the cave. Thus, they are a by-product of human activity inside the cave. The radiocarbon ages of organic fraction of these laminae fall between 6460 and 6640 cal BP and 7160 and 7330 cal BP. These dates indicate that the origin of the laminae is connected with two episodes of prehistoric occupation of the cave. The first one should be related either to later part of Gemer Linear Pottery or to early Buick culture populations. The second episode refers to the youngest phase of human occupation in Domica cave reflecting the last period of Bükk populations' existence in the Slovak Karst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediments of three oxbow lakes located in Vistula valley near Warsaw (Poland) were analysed for activity of 210Pb. The sediment age was calculated applying the CRS model. The sedimentation rate was determined for each lake based on the sediment age and thickness under the assumption of constant deposition between dated layers. Sedimentation rate varies in time and between lakes. The major changes of sedimentation rate were correlated with flood events and construction of flood dams that isolate the lakes from the river. The recent differences between the lakes seem to be related to different trophy state and productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This comprehensive study examines fossil remains from Niedźwiedzia Cave in the Eastern Sudetes, offering detailed insights into the palaeobiology and adversities encountered by the Pleistocene cave bear Ursus spelaeus ingressus. Emphasising habitual cave use for hibernation and a primarily herbivorous diet, the findings attribute mortality to resource scarcity during hibernation and habitat fragmentation amid climate shifts. Taphonomic analysis indicates that the cave was extensively used by successive generations of bears, virtually unexposed to the impact of predators. The study also reveals that alkaline conditions developed in the cave during the post-depositional taphonomic processes. Mortality patterns, notably among juveniles, imply dwindling resources, indicative of environmental instability. Skeletal examination reveals a high incidence of forelimb fractures, indicating risks during activities like digging or confrontations. Palaeopathological evidence unveils vulnerabilities to tuberculosis, abscesses, rickets, and injuries, elucidating mobility challenges. The cave's silts exhibit a high zinc concentration, potentially derived from successive bear generations consuming zinc-rich plants. This study illuminates the lives of late cave bears, elucidating unique environmental hurdles faced near their species' end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present 100‐ka multiproxy palaeoenvironmental records from three stalagmites collected in different caves located in the Tatra Mountains on the Polish/Slovakian border. A combination of three records from one mountain region helps to estimate local factors controlling the recorded proxies and separate them from regional/global patterns. The studied stalagmites react to the same environmental changes in different ways due to the differences in their local settings. Furthermore, the analysed records show environmental changes from relatively cold and dry climates to interglacial conditions of MIS 5e. One episode of a colder climate during the MIS 6/MIS 5e transition similar to Dryas periods is observed in all studied stalagmites. The δ18O record from the MAG‐1 stalagmite is most similar to the GRIP record. During the MIS 5e, the δ18O record from the MAG‐1 stalagmite e xhibits a pattern similar to the records from the western part of the European continent. This finding suggests that the Atlantic Ocean was an important source of moisture for the region. The observed rapid change of δ18O, δ13C, Sr and Si proxies from the MAG‐1 and Dz‐1 stalagmites after 109 ka are potentially related to a drier and colder climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study from the renowned Demänová Cave System in the Carpathians of Slovakia demonstrates that the conventional methods of fluvial sedimentology, combined with an allostratigraphic mapping and speleothem U‐series isotopic dating, can give unprecedented insights into the hydrological history of underground karst conduit. The deposits studied are a relic compound sidebar ranging from gravel to mud and encapsulating the conduit's hydrological history from the middle Pleistocene to the present time. A succession of 10 allostratigraphic units, time‐constrained by speleothems, are recognized in the sidebar deposits, and the corresponding morphodynamics of an evolving cave‐floor sedimentation are reconstructed in considerable detail. The subterranean river water stages recognized from the deposits, time‐constrained by flowstone layers and stalagmites, correlate with and add to the regional record of climate changes. Two distinct episodes of flow ponding (high‐stage slackwater conditions) are recognized and attributed to the independently documented downstream cave‐roof collapses, probably triggered by the Carpathian post‐orogenic earthquakes. This multidisciplinary study may serve as a useful methodological guide for the analysis of fluviokarstic deposits in speleological research and reconstruction of their hosting cave hydrological history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The direct dating of pre- and postfaulting dislocated calcite speleothems afforded new insight into slope failure in the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland. A multi-approach study of the karstic Kalacka Cave (non-crevasse type) enabled us to infer the slope deformation structure, which had been poorly preserved in ground surface topography, using combined methods including geomorphological and structural mapping of cave and ground surfaces, paleostress analysis, near-surface electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and induced polarization methods (IP), uranium series dating (234U/230Th), calcite microtexture analysis, and stable isotope (δ18O and δ13C) analysis. Here, slope deformation began with dilation between 280 ± 7 ka and 265 ± 8 ka and proceeded as deep-seated gravitational slope deformations. The final stage consisted of dilation rejuvenation and rockfall during the latest Pleistocene or Holocene (post 35 ± 4 ka). Additionally, some dilations are evident beyond the extent of the landslide detected by ERT, indicating further progradation of slope failure. Since this failure was initiated during the climatic transition from MIS 9 to MIS 8, stable isotope analysis of calcite flowstone layers was applied to test climate factors. The correlation of calcite microtexture and δ18O and δ13C compositional changes with the interval of dilation activity indicates that regional environment factors, chiefly an increase in precipitation, probably contributed to slope destabilization. Highlights • A previously unknown relict landslide was identified. • Dilation in speleothems was directly dated. • Three phases of landslide evolution were identified. • Stable isotope analysis implied an precipitation increase as a reason for slope failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Houping Tiankeng cluster is a part of the South China Karst UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. Within the distinctive Wulong plateau-gorge karst, > 200 km of cave passages have been documented to date. This paper focuses on detailed tectonic and morphological research on the Luo Shui Kong cave, enriched with U-series dating of speleothems and complemented by morphometric analysis of the San Wang Dong and Er Wang Dong caves. All of these caves exhibit three regional levels of cave development: 1) 1040–1020 m a.s.l.; 2) 900–840 m a.s.l.; and 3) 740–660 m a.s.l. The Houping Tiankeng area is a carbonate rock sequence several hundred meters thick, overlain by the less soluble Lower Ordovician strata, limiting recharge points to faults exposing underlying easily soluble formations. This leads to the domination of concentrated, high-volume inflow and thus results in caves of large volume in the plateau-gorge karst. Shafts connecting the surface with cave passages located underneath formed along faults, changing the hydrogeological pattern through karst water capture and remodeling of existing conduits, albeit mainly by increasing their overall dimensions rather than by deepening them. The most favorable structures for cave-level development are two sets of joints conjugated with gently inclined bedding. Since these joints are characterized by a small vertical extent, downward development is limited. Hence, most of the passages are wide but not deep canyons and typical of a water-table cave pattern. Places where the fault plane is eroded from the surface and where, at the same time, an underneath cave chamber ceiling expands upwards are particularly predisposed to the formation of a tiankeng. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Budimirica Cave is a small cave located in the southern part of the Republic of Macedonia, in the Kamenica Valley, a tributary to the Crna Reka and part of the Vardar river drainage network. The response of the cave to Late Pleistocene environmental changes is interpreted based on a detailed study of cave sediments, with previous data being supplemented, reinterpreted and compared to the Ohrid Lake palaeoclimate record. The oldest exposed speleothems in the Budimirica sediment profile were deposited during the MIS 5a (radiometric age of ca 83 ka). Sands to clays in the overburden are characterized by cycles separated by short-lived interruptions in deposition. They were deposited from a number of repeated flood events likely during the MIS 4 stage, the Weichselian (Wurmian) Glaciation, correlating to aggradation in the Kamenica Valley. The top flowstone is correlated with a warmer climate excursion at 45-50 ka (MIS 3) recorded from the Ohrid Lake deposits. The whole section was extensively eroded during the MIS 2 stage, due to strong incision in the Kamenica Valley, indicated by knickpoint retreat. The erosion surface is overlain by a fossil-bearing breccia (with Ursus spelaeus) derived from frost shattering of the cave walls close to the entrance due to climate deterioration and enlargement of the entrance by slope retreat during the MIS 2 stage. Budimirica Cave sediments reflect changes in the Kamenica Valley, as well as the environmental changes during the last glacial-interglacial cycle, with clastic cave sediments deposited during glacial stadials, and erosion and flowstone deposition characteristic of the interstadials. They also allow reconstruction of the evolution of the Kamenica Valley during the Late Pleistocene, with a general trend of valley incision hindered by climate influenced river aggradation, but reinforced by river knickpoint retreat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ochtiná Aragonite Cave (Western Carpathians) represents a unique natural phenomenon. It originated under particular lithological and hydrogeological conditions of the Ochtiná Karst in which several isolated lenses of Paleozoic crystalline limestone, partly metasomatically altered to ankerite, are enclosed by phyllites. Meteoric water seepage through non-carbonate rocks dissolved limestone and caused the oxidation of ankerite to Fe oxyhydroxides. Carbon dioxide produced during ankerite oxidation enhanced limestone dissolution. The maze cave consists of parallel fault-controlled linear passages and chambers interconnected by transverse horizontal passages. Phreatic and epiphreatic solution morphologies resulted from slowly moving or standing water. These include flat ceilings (Laugdecken), facets, lateral notches, convection ceiling cupola-shaped depressions, and spongework-like hollows. Flat ceilings were developed in several altitude positions, each of them probably closely below the slightly oscillated water table. Primary phreatic cupola-shaped depressions, truncated by flat ceilings, represent relics of the oldest cavities (pre-Quaternary? to Early Pleistocene). Inward-sloping smooth facets were not developed only in passages with flat ceilings, but also in the passages and halls with a vaulted ceiling. The asymmetrical shape of cusped depressions above the facets were documented in detail by a high-resolution cave topography with terrestrial laser scanning and digital photogrammetry. Middle--Late Pleistocene accumulation phases, identified by magnetostratigraphy of cave sediments and U-series dating of speleothems, are associated with phreatic and later epiphreatic development. The deposition on the bottom bedrock began before 1.8 Ma. The Brunhes/Matuyama boundary (0.773 Ma) and Jaramillo magnetozone (0.990-1.071 Ma) were recorded in the profile in the Oválna chodba Passage. Slow depositional rate (~0.09 cm/kyr) calculated from magnetostratigraphy resulted from slow water movement in confined conditions in marbles completely enclosed by phyllites and no direct relation to the surface. Only occasionally turbid water was loaded in extremely fine-grained infiltration material and autochthonous Fe oxyhydroxides. The depositional rate in Mn-rich layer was much slower (~0.03 cm/kyr). Additional U-series dating confirmed that old aragonite generations (with ages about 500-450 ka and 143-121 ka) were partly corroded by repeated floods during Late Pleistocene humid episodes. Aragonite younger than 13.5 ka is not corroded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sedimentological record in the Račiška pečina cave sediment sequence is one of the best-preserved cave records of palaeoenvironmental changes for the last 3.4 Ma. However, as it is typical for cave terrestrial records, it contains many hiatuses in sedimentation. The section study helped to change the state of knowledge and understanding of the long-lasting deposition characteristics in the caves and provided enormous data on environmental changes over time. In the sequence are by magnetostratigraphy well recorded Pliocene/Pleistocene transition at 2.59 Ma, the Matuyama/Brunhes boundary at 0.773 Ma, and the presence of Olduvai subchron between 1.78 and 1.925 Ma. Records of small mammals from the lower part of the section (a molar of Apodemus cf. atavus and dental fragments of Borsodia sp., and Pliomys sp.) suggest MN17 age, Clethrionomys cf. glareolus from the upper part suggests the Late Early or Middle Pleistocene age. Also worth mentioning are records of snail shells Aegopinella sp. and a troglobiont snail Zospeum sp. In the upper part of the section Ursus ex gr. spelaeus was confirmed in the yellow clay layer older than ~72 ka, and soot material at the top of the section was radiocarbon dated on ~11 ka, ~9 ka, and ~3 ka. A detailed chronology of the Račiška pečina section based on magnetostratigraphy and isotopic oxygen stratigraphy was created and correlated with palaeontological, U-series, and radiocarbon results. Before the hiatus 2.6-2.5 Ma ago, the oxygen record was mainly shaped by regional Mediterranean Sea factors. After this boundary, the RP record becomes more similar to the LR04 stack, implying the increased influence of Atlantic Ocean factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The diatoms and Cladocera (Crustacea) remains from two lakes in the Sudets Mountains were analyzed to indicate an influence of acidification induced by anthropogenic factors during the last 150 years. The border area of the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland, the so-called “Black Triangle”, has been strongly impacted by developed industry for several decades. The most visible effect of this process is the destruction of mountain forests in the region by acid rains. The diatom communities of Mały Staw and Wielki Staw show that acid rain has strongly affected water biota. Diatom-inferred pH reconstruction suggests major acidification during the last two decades. This process was controlled mainly by anthropogenic factors. Cladoceran records also presented changes of dominant taxa in this period and point to significant changes in living conditions. The discovery of a pH decrease during the last decade is contradictory to emissions data that suggest decrease in industrial pollution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The steep morphology, highest elevation within the Carpathians, and distinct fault borders of the Tatra Mts. support the assumption of recent tectonic activity. However, for decades, the Quaternary tectonic activity of the Tatra Mts. has been poorly evidenced, and a late Pleistocene fault rupture was discovered recently. Using the protected environment of the caves, we have utilized 230Th/U dating of damaged speleothems to extend the record of Quaternary deformation of the Tatra Mts. up to 0.5 Ma. The results from ten caves reveal five periods of increased activity at 465–332, 280–260, 204.8–188.8, 127–86.6, and 29.5–10.11 ka ago. Three mechanisms of fault reactivation were identified through paleostress analysis of cave passage offsets: (1) gravitational sliding; (2) NNE–SSW transpression, likely associated with the Alps–Carpathians–Pannonian (ALCAPA) NNE motion; and (3) tectonic-driven SE-trending compression that reactivated the strike–slip and the gently dipping oblique lower-order faults. The geochronological data indicate that these three stress regimes operated during the late Pleistocene; however, our fault-slip data do not allow us to identify the dominant process. Herein, we suggest that the fault slip was caused by the isostatic response of the Tatra block to the unloading of mountain glaciers, coupled with sediment evacuation overlapping with regional-scale tectonic processes. These processes are locally obliterated by debuttressing. We also show that the distances between the caves and possible seismic sources (i.e., the Sub-Tatric and Ružbachy faults) are sufficiently short to break speleothems in response to oscillation. Given that for most caves an earthquake of >M w 6.5 would be destructive, it seems co-seismic deformations in caves are highly likely considering the M w > 7 potential of the Sub-Tatric Fault. • Multiphase cave-conduit offsets in the Tatra Mts. were analyzed. • Dating damage-related speleothems revealed five periods of increased activity. • The two fault sets were likely reactivated due to the overlap of the isostatic rebound and Alpine–Carpathian–Pannonian push. • Some faults were reactivated due to slope response to the retreats of Pleistocene glaciers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We synthesize information on results and age of cave sediments from Slovenia. The studied sites were mostly from the Classical Karst which is situated in the NW part of Dinarides and some from the Slovenian Southern Alps. Protected in caves, sediments are generally well preserved and reveal an exceptionally good, multi-proxy record of surface environmental conditions at the time of their deposition. Here we describe results of the systematic acquisition of palaeomagnetic data within individual segments of studied sediment sections with special focus on relict and unroofed caves. In intervals with polarity change, the frequency of sampling was so high that almost continuous records of rockmagnetic and palaeomagnetic parameters were obtained. The construction of high-resolution magnetostratigraphic profile supported magnetostratigraphy correlations among profiles. Palaeomagnetic and magnetostratigraphy results were calibrated by relative, numerical, calibrated and correlated dating methods, where possible. Age sequences were compiled from spatially and temporally highly discontinuous sediment records covering different ages within the Cenozoic era. The robust chronology was constructed. Calibrated data contributed to the interpretation of speleogenesis, deposition mechanism in caves, and indirectly to the time of karst evolution and the succession of tectonic phases and climate changes. The research indicated that most of sediments in relict and unroofed caves are up to 5 Ma old which contrasts to the traditional concept of Pleistocene age of cave sediments and that caves themselves are not much older. Cave sediments have proven to be an important source of information on depositional style in caves which indirectly reflected the evolution of the surrounding landscape especially the evolution of catchment areas – i.e. climatic changes with flood events or/and changes of the tectonic regimes during Cenozoic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The trans-boundary Slovak-Hungarian Domica–Baradla cave system (Slovak and Aggtelek karsts), >26 km in length, consists of evolution levels that have been formed in relation to the incision phases of the Jósva Valley. Existing opinions on the age of the well-known cave system have not been based on the dating of cave sediments deposited during older evolution phases. Previous U-series dating and the first paleomagnetic analyses of dripstones, flowstones and fine-grained allochthonous sediments identified only younger accumulative phases of the cave evolution in Late Pleistocene. Our cosmogenic nuclide dating (10Be and 26Al) of allochthonous fluvial gravels from the upper and lower levels of the Domica Cave (Slovakia) reveal much older evolution phases. Two burial ages at 3.47 ± 0.78 Ma and 2.94 ± 0.50 Ma show that the upper level of the cave system originated in, or before, the Middle Pliocene. Its younger accumulation phases (Early–Middle Pleistocene) are documented based on magnetostratigraphy and U-series dating of fine-grained sediments and flowstones. The Brunhes/Matuyama boundary (780 ka), Kamikatsura excursion (~900 ka), Santa Rosa excursion (~932 ka) and Jaramillo magnetozone (~1.001–1.069 Ma) were identified from the newly studied profile in the Suchá chodba Passage (the ages of flowstones in upper part of this profile are ~130 ka, 173 ka and 199 ka). In some places, several small older (paleokarst?) solutional phreatic cavities are cut by this cave level. The lower evolution level, located 12–18 m below the upper level, originated in the Early Pleistocene (the burial age of allochthonous fluvial gravels is 1.92 ± 0.25 Ma). Low pre-burial denudation rates (3.1–5.6 m/Ma) correspond with the slowdown or interruption of tectonic uplift of the area and the long-term stabilized erosion base level during the formation of these cave levels. Their origin was linked with the formation of large pediments, of which remnants are preserved on both sides of the Jósva Valley (Hungary). The pediments probably correlate to the 'foothill' (Middle Pliocene) and 'river-side' (Late Pliocene–Early Pleistocene) levels in the denudation chronology of the Western Carpathians. Highlights • Fluvially-modelled cave levels developed in relation to the formation of large pediments. • Combined use of absolute dating methods for the reconstruction of cave chronology. • The largest cave levels in the marginal part of the Western Carpathians formed in the Middle Pliocene and Early Pleistocene. • Paleo-denudation rates during the formation of cave levels are equivalent to low denudation rates of old cratons. • Refined denudation chronology of the Western Carpathians during the Middle Pliocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock-slope failures represent a significant hazard along global coastlines, but their chronology remains poorly documented. Here, we focus on the geomorphology and chronology of giant rockslides affecting the Crimean Mountains along the Black Sea coast. Geomorphic evidence suggests that high (>100 m) limestone cliffs flanking the southern slopes of the Crimean Mountains are scarps of rockslides nested within larger deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSDs). Such pervasive slope failures originated due to lateral spreading of intensively faulted Late Jurassic carbonate blocks moving atop weak/plastic Late Triassic flysch and tuff layers. By introducing a dating strategy relying on the combination of the uranium-thorium dating (U-Th) of exposed calcareous speleothems covering the landslide scarps with the 36 Cl exposure dating of rock walls, we are able to approximate the time interval between the origin of incipient crevices and the final collapse of limestone blocks that exposed the cliff faces. For the three representative large-scale rockslides between the towns of Foros and Yalta, the initiation of the DSGSDs as evidenced by the widening of crevices and the onset of speleothem accumulation was >300 ka BP, but the recent cliff morphology along the coast is the result of Late Pleistocene/Holocene failures spanning ∼20–0.5 ka BP. The exposures of rockslide scarps occurred mostly at ∼20–15, ∼8, ∼5–4 and ∼2–0.5 ka, which substantially coincide with the last major Black Sea transgressions and/or more humid Holocene intervals. Our study suggests that before ultimate fast and/or catastrophic slope failures, the relaxation of rock massifs correlative with karstification, cracks opening, and incipient sliding lasted on the order of 10 4 –10 5 years. Rapid Late Glacial/Holocene transgressions of the Black Sea likely represented the last impulse for the collapse of limestone blocks and the origin of giant rockslides, simultaneously affecting the majority of the SW coast of the Crimean Peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caves are important markers of surface evolution, since they are, as a general rule, linked with ancient valley bottoms by their springs. However, caves can only be dated indirectly by means of the sediments they contain. If the sediment is older than common dating methods, one has to use multiple dating approaches in order to get meaningful results. U/Th dating, palaeomagnetic analysis of flowstone and sediment profiles, cosmogenic dating of quartz pebbles, and mammalian dating allowed a robust estimate of speleogenesis, sediment deposition, climatic change at the surface, and uplift history on the Periadriatic fault line during the Plio-Pleistocene. Our dates indicate that Snežna jama was formed in the (Upper) Miocene, received its sedimentary deposits during the Pliocene in a rather low-lying, hilly landscape, and became inactive due to uplift along the Periadriatic and Sava faults and climatic changes at the beginning of the Quaternary. Although it is only a single cave, the information contained within it makes it an important site of the Southern Alps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The migration of Ursus ingressus from Southern to Western Europe, where it replaced native forms of Ursus spelaeus , is well documented. However, its occurrence in Central and Eastern European countries is unexplored. We have characterized the cave bear population inhabiting the Sudetes Mountains during the Late Pleistocene. DNA analyses were performed on 39 cave bear specimens from the Niedzwiedzia Cave. Ten successfully yielded the 254-bp sequences of an mtDNA control region. Phylogenetic analyses allowed assignment of nine samples to the U. ingressus haplogroup and one to brown bear ( Ursus arctos ). The mtDNA haplotypes of U. ingressus formed a single cluster and differed from haplotypes obtained for cave bears from other excavation sites in Europe. Uranium-thorium and radiocarbon dating of selected samples has shown that U. ingressus appeared in the Sudetes region at least 80,000 years ago. This finding may suggest that the appearance of U. ingressus in this area resulted from migration that occurred earlier than the colonization of the Alps and Swabian Jura. It is possible that migration of U. ingressus proceeded along the Carpathian and Sudetes arc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the relation between travertine and tectonics is commonly accepted, the influence of seismic activity on the internal structures and facies development of travertine has not been examined extensively. The aim of this paper was to unravel the impact of seismic shocks on the anatomy of a travertine mound. Dreveník travertine in the Central Western Carpathians of Slovakia was studied using detailed facies analysis, based on fieldwork coupled with microscope and stable isotope studies. The travertine formed a ridge fed by ascending water of deep circulation, charged with CO2 of geogenic origin. The location of the ridge over an impermeable Palaeogene flysch complex and the stable isotope composition of the travertine support the above interpretation. The ridge is composed of crystalline crust travertine, lithoclast travertine, fine-grained lithoclast travertine, paper-thin raft travertine and coated bubble travertine. The travertine underwent brittle deformations resulting in formation of fissures and intraclast breccia. Several lines of evidence prove that the deformations occurred during travertine deposition: (i) breccias are covered by undisturbed layers of travertine; (ii) ground fissures are filled with younger travertine; and (iii) calcite filling fissures and cementing breccia crystallized from water with the same isotopic composition as the travertine. The deformations resulted from seismic shocks which also triggered rockfall avalanches that led to the destruction of the upper part of the travertine slope and deposition of lithoclast travertine on its lower parts. Local hydrological conditions changed after the shocks, favouring ponding of water which, in turn, led to formation of paper-thin raft travertine over lithoclast travertine. Thus, earthquakes exerted an important control on the development of the studied travertine mound. It is plausible that earthquakes have impacted other travertine mounds and influenced their facies development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiphase cave conduit offset and related speleothem damage in the Demänová Cave System (DCS; the Low Tatra Mts, Central Western Carpathians) were dated with U-series methods, revealing five events: (1) 570 (442)–417 ka, (2) 306–291 ka, (3) 184–130 ka, (4) ~19 ka, and (5) 2.56–2.3 ka. To decipher the cause of the damage, we combined geochronological data with structural, geomorphological, and seismological research. Gravity sliding as a probable source of damage is unlikely since the Demänová Valley has deepened only to a small extent for the past 550 ka and the steep fissure guiding the studied parts of the DCS extends below the recent valley. However, coseismic block sliding cannot be unambiguously excluded, as Newmark displacement analysis revealed that any >M7 earthquake in the 25 km range could have produced a 10-cm pseudostatic displacement. The studied offsets were accompanied by shaking, as inferred from fallen stalagmites and stalactites; hence, distant earthquakes are plausible damage sources. We applied ground-motion models and compared them with seismicity and scant prehistoric and historical data to identify and quantify the probable seismic source, which is most likely the Sub-Tatric Fault located 17.5 km from the cave. As inferred from the applied ground-motion models, a > M7 event on the Sub-Tatric Fault would generate a PGA >4 m/s2 in the cave despite the attenuation, which is above the threshold horizontal ground acceleration forcing the majority of speleothems to break. Although the mechanism that leads to cave passage offsets remains unclear we consider them as an off-fault damage caused by secondary faulting related to postseismic surface vertical movements, or less likely but not out of the realm of possibility distributed rupturing. • Multiphase cave conduit offsets in the Demänová Cave System were analyzed. • Speleothem damage was dated with U-series methods, revealing five events. • The most likely cause of damage is coseismic deformation. • The most likely seismic source is the Sub-Tatric Fault. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryogenic cave calcite (CCC), formed by segregation of solutes during water freezing, was found in three Central European caves. This calcite type forms accumulations of loose calcite grains on cave floor. The calcite grains are of highly variable crystal morphology, and of sizes ranging from less than 1 mm to over 1 cm. The most typical feature is their accumulation as loose (uncemented) crystals. U-series dating indicates the formation of CCC in the studied caves during several climatic oscillations of the Weichselian (between 61 and 36 ka BP in the Chelsiowa Jama–Jaskinia Jaworznicka cave system in Poland, between 34 and 26 ka BP in the BUML Cave in the Czech Republic, and between 26 and 21 ka BP in the Stratenska´ Jaskynˇa cave system, Slovakia). At the time of CCC formation, the studied caves were lying in a periglacial zone.Detailed C and O stable isotope study of CCC samples revealed that slow water freezing under isotope equilibrium was the dominant formational process in the studied Polish and Czech caves. Significantly higher δ13C values of CCC in the Stratenska´ Jaskynˇa Cave indicate either water freezing in a more opened system with continuous CO2 escape (Rayleigh fractional separation), or participation of another CO2 source. The model of slow water freezing under isotope equilibrium is supported by isolated character of the caves having limited ventilation.In contrast, modern cryogenic cave calcite powders sampled directly on the ice surface of two recently iced caves in Slovakia with high ventilation showed much higher δ18O and δ13C data, similar to cryogenic calcites obtained in experimental rapid water freezing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Identification of volcanic signals preserved in paleoenvironmental records can provide key insights into the timing and consequences of explosive volcanism. Yet the eruption record is incomplete and this confounds our ability to link volcanic eruptions to their impacts on climate and environments. Studies have suggested that stalagmite records can help to address these gaps, through the identification of transient geochemical variability associated with incorporation of elements derived from erupted material. However, the utility of stalagmites for tracing volcanism is poorly constrained globally. Here, we present a high-resolution geochemical dataset for stalagmite NIED08–05 from Niedźwiedzia Cave (Poland). We do this with two primary aims: (1) to test the suitability of NIED08–05 as a record of volcanism since 3 ka BP, and (2) to ascertain whether stalagmites grown in temperate regions preserve volcanic signals with success comparable to those grown in tropical regions. We find transient enrichments of 16 trace elements and the rare-earth-elements Y, La, Nd, which coincide with the timing of some known eruption events. Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) we find that elements atypically incorporated into calcite (e.g., Fe) co-vary. Similarly, filtering PC1 (17% of the dataset variability) for high magnitude deviations from a baseline signal yields tentative agreement between PC scores and some known large eruptions with tephra found in Poland. We use our analysis to discuss the complexities involved in associating volcanic signals with stalagmite chemistry in temperate regions far from the source of large eruptions. The transport pathway from volcanic source to stalagmite growth surfaces includes the complex Niedźwiedzia Cave hydrological system and is influenced by dense forest above the cave site. Together these factors increase the potential for attenuation of volcanic-derived chemical signals prior to reaching the stalagmite, and so make it difficult to unambiguously link trace element enrichments in NIED08–05 to volcanic eruptions. Our results provide strong evidence that in a temperate depositional environment far from active volcanoes, climate and hydrology conspire to mute the strength of volcanic geochemical signals. Therefore, this work provides important incentives for future research in this area by highlighting that stalagmites grown in a comparatively simple hydrological regime and grown in caves overlain by thin vegetation and soil cover , may preserve volcanic signatures with greater success than those grown in temperate environments. • An exploratory analysis of the geochemical composition of a mid-latitude, temperate stalagmite grown in SW Poland between 0 and 3 ka BP. • Transient enrichments of 16 trace elements and the rare-earth-elements Y, La, Nd coincide with the timing of some known eruption events. • However, it is difficult to unambiguously link trace element enrichments to volcanic eruptions. • We suggest this is linked to four key factors: (1) distal location relative to active volcanoes, (2) regional climate, (3) depth within the cave, (4) lack of an extremely precise chronology. • Our results suggest that not all stalagmites are suitable for tephrochronology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clastic deposits in Kalacka Cave in the Tatra Mts. Show soft-sediment deformation structures (SSDS) rare for a cave environments. The poorly sorted allochthonous sediments were deposited within a cave sump under a fluvial regime, likely due to glacially initiated back-flooding during the Last Glacial. The structures include small-scale faults (normal and reverse), folds (upright symmetric anticlines, low-amplitude open folds, W-vergent folds and fault-propagation folds), and water-escape structures. A laboratory experiment is used to assess the possibile liquefaction of a thin soft-sediment filling in a limestone tube, including calculation of the site effects of resonance frequency and amplification coefficient and the site vulnerability index K g. The calculations indicate that seismic waves can be amplified up to 10 times and the expected resonance frequency is ~17.05 Hz. We argue that the observed SSDS formed in two stages. First, brittle and ductile deformation structures developed due to gravity-induced slumping. Next, liquefaction produced water-escape structures. The studied SSDS were likely seismically triggered. Favorable conditions occurred during the withdrawal of the last glacier (MIS 2) when the sediments were oversaturated and the Tatra Mts. experienced a strong earthquake (M7.0). Alternatively, high-frequency microearthquakes could have been triggered by slope failure cutting into Kalacka Cave. • The clastic sediments of Kalacka Cave a rare record of SSDS. • A first estimation of the site effects and the vulnerability index of cave sediments. • The SSDS in Kalacka Cave are likely co-seismic. • The optimal time for the SSDS development in the cave was the end of the Last Glaciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]