Permafrost occurrence during the Last Permafrost Maximum in the Western Carpathian Mountains of Slovakia as inferred from cryogenic cave carbonate |
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Authors: | Monika Orvo?ová Michael Deininger Rastislav Milovský |
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Institution: | 1. The Slovak Museum of Nature Protection and Speleology, , SK‐031 01 Liptovsky Mikulá?, Slovak Republic;2. Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Heidelberg, , D‐69120 Heidelberg, Germany;3. Geological Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, , SK‐274 01 Banská Bystrica, Slovak Republic |
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Abstract: | Coarse crystalline cryogenic cave carbonate (CCC) forms during the slow freezing of standing water pools and represents indirect proof of freezing temperature in the past. The dating by U‐series of CCC deposits from nine caves in the Western Carpathians Mountains of Slovakia suggests that freezing conditions, and possible permafrost conditions, occurred during the Last Permafrost Maximum (LPM, c. 20–18 ka BP). The CCC deposits occur in caves at elevations of between 800 and 1800 m a.s.l. They point to widespread alpine permafrost, the lower limit of discontinuous/sporadic permafrost being approximately 800 m a.s.l. The thickness of permafrost probably varied between 30 and 180 m. In the Vysoké Tatry Mountains at altitudes of ~1800 m a.s.l., one occurrence of CCC suggests that subzero temperatures may have penetrated to a depth of over 285 m. |
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