Science at Lechuguilla: 1999 Review
Paul Burger, Hydrologist, Carlsbad Caverns National Park Mineral Inventory
Investigator: Harvey DuChene Purpose: To document the mineralogic and geologic features of Lechuguilla Cave to help the cave resource staff make management decisions and to aid other researchers doing geologic
and hydrologic work in the cave. November 10-13, 1999 Fubar
Linda Doran and John Lyles led an inventory trip into the Clam Bake area of Fubar and into Northern Exposure, both in the Western
Borehole. The Clam Bake area contains well-preserved Permian fossils protruding from the walls and ceiling (seen in the August, 1999 issue of the NSS News). The most abundant fossils are algae
and crinoids, but there are also abundant brachiopods, gastropods, nautiloids, sponges, and preserved as part of a fossil "hash." In several places, reddish-brown urchin spines 4-5 cm long protrude from
the rock like rusty nails, some with ribs that look like thorns attached. Well-compacted, horizontal algal mounds more than a meter tall and dark brown in color were found at EXAF 6, 15, and 16. One algal
mound at EXAF 16 is approximately 4 meters tall and takes up an entire wall of the passage. In a narrow passage just below it (EXAF 15), an algal mound is bisected by a fault line trending about 30. In addition to the
fossils, they made several observations about the secondary deposits in the passages. Amber-colored scalenohedral calcite spar covers the exposed surfaces of walls, floors, and breakdown blocks below a former
water level, and dark brown corrosion residue covers the calcite spar and the bedrock. The floors are coated with gypsum over a layer of corroded, brown travertine that is cracked and slipping in places. In
several places, they found a powdery floor coating containing varying amounts of gypsum, moonmilk, silt, and/or corrosion residue. Pink clay deposits, possibly manganese carbonates, were found in much of the
EXAF survey. Moonmilk is present in significant amounts and sometimes appears to gradate into pinkish clay deposits in wall and floor recesses. Northern Exposure/Zanzibar
The predominant features in the IBDA
survey of the Northern Exposure are breakdown blocks, speleothems such as popcorn and aragonite, and corrosion residues. The IBD survey is characterized by travertine-coated mammillaries, not as many breakdown blocks,
and more frequent deposits of gypsum crust. The IBD passage provides evidence that the cave experienced a greater influx of water in the past. Features of note include a dry pool, "Teardrop Pool," with a
well-defined former lake level. Above the pool is a large dome decorated with teardrop-shaped mammillaries. Both the floor and dome are deeply cracked. An acid lake basin appears to have undercut carbonate bedrock
in the Zanzibar Pool Basin. Life in Extreme Environments (LExEn) Investigators: Cliff Dahm, Laura Crossey, Diana Northup, Mike Spilde, University of New Mexico;Penny Boston,
Complex Systems Research, Inc.; Larry Mallory, Biomes, Inc. Purpose: To elucidate the nature of microbiological communities in the corrosion residue habitat in Lechuguilla Cave and to discover the interactions between
microbial communities and the rocks, minerals, and air of the cave. January 6-9, 1999 Corrosion residue and punk rock samples were taken in the Sanctuary area of the Western Borehole. These samples
were taken for microbial and SEM analysis and for bulk chemistry. AO/Int in spider and enrichments. January 27-31, 1999 Corrosion residue and punk rock samples were taken in the Red Lake area of the Western
Borehole. These samples were taken for microbial and SEM analysis and for bulk chemistry. June 23-26, 1999 Water, air, and some rock samples were taken in the Pearlsian Gulf and Lip Service areas of the
Southwest. A small fragment of broken spitzkarren was also taken near Lip Service. Enzyme exposures were taken on the sulfur deposits in the Voids and some small sulfur samples were taken for stable isotope
analysis. June 28-30, 1999 Sampled the corrosion residue and punk rock in the Sanctuary in the Western branch for mineralogic analysis. An AO/INT analysis was performed on the corrosion residue to
determine the ratio of total cells to total respiring cells. Manganese and Iron enrichment cultures were taken to grow microbes in the laboratory to understand their energy sources. Samples were taken and
AO/INT analyses were done in the EA survey near EF Junction. punk rock from ea and sanct for dna October 8, 1999 Sampled corrosion residue and punk rock in the Ghost Busters Hall area. Collected an additional
sample of corrosion residue near the start of S&M Crawl in Apricot Pit. December 2, 1999 Took additional samples of corrosion residue in the Ghost Busters Hall area. Preliminary Results
The samples taken this year are part of a three-year study. This year Diana Northup and her colleagues have concentrated on the origin of the corrosion residue in Lechuguilla Cave. The AO/INT analysis
gives an indication of the biological activity of a particular sample. Results from the corrosion samples taken from the EA sample site show that about 18% of the cells in the corrosion residue and 26% of the
cells in the punk rock samples are actively respiring. These results are significant and strongly point to a biologic origin for corrosion residue. Preliminary results from chemical analysis of the black
corrosion residue indicate that manganese may be enriched many thousands of times over the level of manganese found in the bedrock. In the red corrosion residue, iron is highly enriched over most other elements. Both of
these enrichments may be the result of microbial activity, using iron and manganese as energy sources. The location of these types of deposits at the top of circulation cells appear to be the result of warm, moist air
condensing on the cooler rock surfaces and providing the water the microbes need to survive. However, corrosion residue can also be found on top of boulders and other locations where it is less obvious that air
circulation may be a factor. Balancing Conservation and Exploration in Lechuguilla Cave Investigator: Diana Northup, University of New Mexico Purpose: To study the
impacts of humans on microbial communities in Lechuguilla Cave by comparing areas with low-impact areas. This study is ongoing and no collecting trips were taken this year. Glass slides have been left in
several of pool areas and camp spots throughout the cave to collect microbes. These slides are left near camp areas for one to five years as a comparison to slides left in relatively non-impacted areas of the
cave. Terrestrial Biomarkers Investigator: Mike Spilde, University of New Mexico, Institute of Meteorites Purpose: To identify geologic material that may
serve as indicators (biomarkers) of microbiological activity that will aid in the search for microbiological life in meteorites and eventual geologic samples from Mars. December 17, 1999 Collected
corrosion residue samples from the crawlway just before the Void Overlook. Five of the samples were thread-like strands of corrosion residue hanging down from the ceiling and one was taken from the floor.
Preliminary Results
Researchers have concentrated on manganese minerals in this study because manganese is an element that can be utilized by microbes as an energy source. Certain oxidized forms of the element
are rare in nature and their presence may be due to microbial activity. Unusual filamentous manganese minerals has been found in these samples and may represent mineralized bacterial filaments. Cosmogenic Tracer Study Investigator: Jake Turin, Los Alamos National Lab Purpose: Determination of water flow and solute transport properties of the unsaturated rocks overlying
Lechuguilla Cave, using tritium and chlorine-36. November 10-13, 1999 Collected water samples from Golden Road Pit, Red Sea pool, Zanzibar, Oasis Pool, and Lake Louise, and Little Lake Lechuguilla
in the western branch of the cave. Development of Urine remediation technology Investigator: Penny Boston, Complex Systems Research, Inc. Purpose:
To develop a method to remediate and eliminate impacts of urine dumping in the cave. January 27-31, 1999 Water samples were taken to test for coliforms at Deep Secrets, Lake
Louise, and Red Lake. Microbe slides were left at second pool at Red lake. Field coliform tests showed that there was a significant number of coliforms at Red Lake.
Remediation Feasibility Investigation: Lechuguilla Urine Dumps Investigator: Cathy Borer, University of Vermont, School of Natural Resources Purpose: To evaluate chemical and biological characteristics
of the urine dumps and to evaluate potential remediation techniques. August 7, 1999 Collected two slides near the Deep Seas camp in the western branch. One was in the urine dump area and one
was a control slide outside the urine dump area. Web Links Diana Northup (LExEn and other Lechuguilla studies)
www.i-pi.com/~diana/ Larry Mallory
www.biomes.com LEARN home page (Includes text of Penny
Boston's report about contamination of Red Lake)
http://www.redshift.com/~mrosbrook/learn/index.htm Selected Bibliography Boston, P.J., M.N. Spilde, and D. E. Northup, 1999. It's alive! Models of Martian biomarkers derived from terrestrial cave microbiota.
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 31, A303. Cunningham, K.I., Northup, D.E., Pollastro, R.M., Wright, W.G., and LaRock, E.J. 1995. Bacteria, Fungi and Biokarst in
Lechuguilla Cave, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico. Environmental Geology, v. 25: 2-8. Cunningham, K.I., D.E. Northup, R.M. Pollastro, W.G. Wright, E.J. LaRock. 1995. Bacteria,
fungi and biokarst in Lechuguilla Cave, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico. In: Deep-seated geochemical environments in karst. A.N. Palmer (editor) Environmental Geology. 25; 1, Pages 2-8. Springer
International. New York-Berlin, International. Dotson, K.E., R.T. Schelble, M.N. Spilde, L.J. Crossey, and D.E. Northup 1999. Geochemistry and mineralogy of secondary mineral deposits, Lechuguilla and Spider Caves,
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM: Biogeochemical processes in an extreme environment. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 31, A154. DuChene,Harvey R. 1998. Origin and mineralogy of
Lechuguilla Cave, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico. In: 1998 AAPG Southwest Section meeting; abstracts. Anonymous AAPG Bulletin. 83; 2, Pages 388. American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Tulsa, OK,
United States. DuChene, Harvey R. 1997. Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico, U. S. A.; 2. In: Cave minerals of the world. Hill-Carol (editor); Forti-Paolo (editor) Pages 343-350. National Speleological Society.
Huntsville, AL, United States. Northup, D.E., M.N. Spilde, and P.J. Boston, 1999. Microbial interactions with the limestone walls of Lechuguilla Cave, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, USA. Journal of
Conference Abstracts, v.4(2):951, 11th Bathurst Meeting July 13th-15th, 1999 Cambridge, UK. Northup, D.E., L.E. Bean, M.N. Spilde, P.J. Boston, S.M. Barns, C.A. Connolly, M.P. Skupski, D.O. Natvig, and C.N. Dahm,
1999. Geomicrobiological investigations of secondary mineral deposits in the subsurface of Lechuguilla Cave, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico. Abstracts and Programs from the 4th International Symposium on
Subsurface Microbiology, 20-21. Northup, D.E., K. Lavoie, and L. Mallory. 1997. Microbes in Caves. NSS News, v.55(4):111. Northup, D.E., D.L. Carr, M.T. Crocker, K.I. Cunningham, L.K. Hawkins, P. Leonard, W.
C. Welbourn. 1994. Biological Investigations in Lechuguilla Cave. December, 1994 NSS Bulletin 56(2): 54-63. Polyak,Victor, William C. McIntosh, Necip Guven, Paula Provencio.
1998. Age and origins of Carlsbad Cavern and related caves from (super 40) Ar/ (super 39) Ar alunite. Science. 279; 5358, Pages 1919-1922. American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Washington, DC, United States. Polyak, Victor J and Necip Guven. 1996. Alunite, natroalunite and hydrated halloysite in Carlsbad Cavern and Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico. Clays and Clay
Minerals. 44; 6, Pages 843-850. Clay Minerals Society. Clarkson, NY, United States. Spilde, M.N., P.J. Boston, and D.E. Northup, 1999. Was it alive? Distinguishing biologicalm from nonbiological mineralization and
geological structures. Procedings from the 5th International Mars Science Conference. M.N. Spilde, D. E. Northup, and P.J. Boston (1999) The hunt for red corrosion: A study of microbial rock corrosion in caves.
Microscopy and Microanalysis 1999, 536-537. Spilde, M.N., C.K. Shearer, and Z. Sharp, 1999. Biogenic corrosion of bedrock at Lechuguilla and Spider Caves, Carlsbad Caverns National Park: A stable isotope and trace
element study. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 31, A155. Spilde, Michael N., Diana E. Northup, Penelope J. Boston, Clifford N. Dahm. 1998. Corrosion residues from Lechuguilla Cave; cozy
home or living hell for microbes?. In: 1998 NSS convention; program and abstracts. Johnson-Debby (editor) Annual Convention Program - National Speleological Society. Pages 61-62. National Speleological
Society, United States. Turin, H.J. and M.A. Plummer. 1995. Geochemistry of Lechuguilla Cave pool water. In: Geological Society of America, 1995 annual meeting. Anonymous Abstracts with Programs -
Geological Society of America. 27; 6, Pages 95. Geological Society of America (GSA). Boulder, CO, United States. Turin, H.J. and M.A. Plummer. 1995. Tritium in Lechuguilla cave pool water;
implications for recharge processes. In: Geological Society of America, 1995 annual meeting. Anonymous Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America. 27; 6, Pages 95. Geological Society of America (GSA).
Boulder, CO, United States. |
