Cryogenic Cave Calcite Pearls Data Presentation

Montana Puscas from Terra Analitic and Ciprian Stremtan from Teledyne Photon Machines attended last week’s 11th  International Workshop on Ice Caves (IWIC) event in Ghetar, Transylvania, near the Scarisoara Ice Cave.

Ciprian presented their joint work on cryogenic cave calcite pearls, including LA-IRMS and LA ICP TOF MS data – you can read the abstract below. The LA-IRMS technique is the result of a long-term collaboration between Terra Analitic, Teledyne and Sercon.

The main aim of the IWIC workshops is to offer a venue for sharing discoveries, questions and ideas related to the past and present occurrence of (perennial) ice in caves. For the first time, in 2026 the workshop also featured work that addresses other, lesser-studied components of the global cryosphere, under threat by climate changes: rock glaciers, ice-cored moraines, mountain permafrost and glacierets and cold-adapted biologic communities. Find out more here: https://sites.google.com/view/iwic-xi/home

For more information about LA-IRMS, click here: www.LA-IRMS.com.   

If you’d like to talk to us about how LA-IRMS can be harnessed to support your research, just email sales@sercongroup.com, we’d love to hear from you.

ABSTRACT

Cryogenic cave calcite is a comparatively rare type of cave deposit formed in periglacial environments by drip water freezing and discharging its soluble components in form of mostly calcium carbonates. While cryogenic calcite formation as a phenomenon was recognized early on by researchers (see [1,2] for references), most studies to date have focused on the morphological characteristics of these deposits or their stable isotope composition.

In this contribution we investigate the elemental composition of cryogenic cave carbonate deposits (pearls) from the Scărișoara Ice Cave, Romania. The pearls were collected from within the cave at locations where active drip water was present. Samples (millimeters to centimeters in diameter) were embedded in epoxy resin, cut in half and the exposed surface was analyzed. Laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometry (LA ICP MS) was used to identify the qualitative distribution of trace elements. Teledyne Photon Machine 193 nm wavelength excimer laser Iridia was used in conjunction with Nu Instruments Vitesse time-of-flight ICP MS. Furthermore, the stable isotope (δ13C and δ 18O) composition was explored using laser ablation isotope ratio mass spectrometry (Photon Machines Fusions CO2 laser coupled to Sercon HS2022 IRMS).

Elemental data shows highly zoned structures in the studied deposits. Layers of clear detrital input (characterized by high 89Y and low 48Ca+/28Si+) alternate with layers with monotonous chemical composition. Furthermore, the layers of detrital input are often characterized by the presence of 3–5 micron Au-containing particles. We identify those particles as potentially anthropogenic pollutants windblown from areas with historically intense Au mining located in relative proximity of the cave.

[1]          I.D. Clark, B. Lauriol, Kinetic enrichment of stable isotopes in cryogenic calcites, Chem. Geol. 102 (1992) 217–228.
[2]          K. Žák, B.P. Onac, A. Perşoiu, Cryogenic carbonates in cave environments: A review, Quat. Int. 187 (2008) 84–96.

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