Geology, geography and global energy

Scientific and Technical Journal

Cryogenic minerals characteristics of Ice fern cave (Kazakhstan)

2017. №1, pp. 88-98

Kadebskaya O.I. - C.Sc. in Geography, Associate Professor, Mining Institute of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 78Р° Sibirskaya st., Perm, 614007, Russian Federation, icecave@bk.ru

Golovachev I.V. - C.Sc. in Geography, Associate Professor, Astrakhan Department of Russian Geographical Society, 16 Tatishchev st., Astrakhan, 414025, Russian Federation, bask_speleo@mail.ru

The article describes Ice Fern Cave, located in the north- eastern shore of Lake Inder (Atyrau, Kazakhstan). The cave was discovered in May 2015, during the field work carried out by members of Speleology and Karst Secion Astrakhan branch of the Russian Geographical Society. Ice Fern Cave refers to the caves of corrosion- erosion type and it is the first largest cave of that area. The cave has a single entrance. It was opened for the first time and previously was not known to the local population. This article describes cryogenic mineral formations of Ice Fern Cave. This cave is the largest cave of Inder-Emba karst district and the only one Northern Caspian cave with a perennial icing. Perennial and seasonal glaciations are formatted in the cave, which leads to the accumulation of a particular type of formation in karst cavities - cryogenic minerals. Mineralogical analyzing of icing cryo material in the cave Ice Fern shows that there are mainly gypsum (99 %) and calcite (1 %) minerals. For the first time it was described diversity, mineralogical and crystallographic characteristics, principle of spread in the cave and communication with zones of cave climate.

Key words: гипсовые кепроки, сульфатный карст, карстовая пещера, пещерные отложения, снежно-ледовые отложения, криогенные отложения пещер, криогенные минералы, кристаллические образования, пещера Ледяной Папоротник, озеро Индер, Северный Прикаспий, gypsum cap rocks,

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