> > The degree to which the sand accumulates or is noticed at any given time > depends mostly on: > · How much time has passed since the last flood, which determines how > many rafts will accumulate floating on the water; > · How severe the flood was, and did it just sink the floating rafts > where they can be seen, or wash them away or bury them under silt and clay > where they will not be seen; > · The chemistry of the cave’s water and atmosphere to create > favorable conditions for raft development. Kurt is right that they usually > form more quickly in the winter because the cave atmosphere has less carbon > dioxide at that time, allowing more carbon dioxide to degas from the water, > driving the water to supersaturation with respect to calcite, and promoting > calcite raft development.
Does the cave atmosphere have less carbon dioxide due to lesser amounts of degradation of biomass in the ground over the cave in the winter (due to the lower surface air temperatures), or is it due to a reduction in temperature of the creek water in the cave? Because the solubility of carbon dioxide increases as the temperature of water decreases. Diana * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Diana R. Tomchick Professor University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Department of Biochemistry 5323 Harry Hines Blvd. Rm. ND10.214B Dallas, TX 75390-8816, U.S.A. Email: diana.tomch...@utsouthwestern.edu 214-645-6383 (phone) 214-645-6353 (fax) ________________________________ UT Southwestern Medical Center The future of medicine, today. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
