5:15 PM - 6:30 PM
[MIS17-P14] cave air monitoring and oxygen isotopic variation in drip water at Inazumi Cave, Oita, Japan
Keywords:stalagmite, δ18O, paleoclimatology
As the result, T-cave air and RH were very stable through a whole year (16.2℃ for T-cave air and 100% for RH) while pCO2-cave air showed distinct seasonal variation: higher in summer and lower in winter. The δ18O of meteoric water showed seasonal trend and the one on August showed the lowest value (-13.23‰) and March was the highest (-4.68‰). The δ18O of the drip water at SS2, even though the drip water hit on the handrails, showed little sequential variations and very stable at all sampling points through a whole year (-8.00, -8.00, -8.01 and -7. 98 ‰, p<0.001 for SS2U, M2, M3 and L, respectively). Likewise, at SS3, WBCA, SS3U and SS3L showed stable δ18O (-8.04, -8.05 and -8.05 p<0.001 for WBCA, SS3U and SS3L respectively). δ18O of the drip water at SS2 and SS3 was plotted on/ close to the Meteoric Water Line made by the δ18O of meteoric water around Inazumi Cave, indicating that the drip water at Inazumi cave was originated from meteoric water around Inazumi cave and that the δ18O of meteoric water was mixed well in the host carbonate rock and homogenized δ18O of drip water was produced, offsetting seasonal variations of drip water’s δ18O. Besides, the mean δ18O of precipitation from May to October was the closet to the mean δ18O of drip water at SS2 and SS3, indicating that the δ18O of precipitation on August, showing the lowest δ18O, probably contributes to the overall mean δ18O of drip water.
Stalagmite farming is going to be initiated in the future to interpret how the δ18O of CaCO3 is changed and fractionated from the one of drip water.