Publication: Features and Origin of Red Clays
in Castafiar Cave: A Touch of Colour
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Publication Date
2010
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Springer Verlag
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Abstract
In Castaiiar Cave (Caceres, Spain), coatings of red clays cover the walls
of the chambers, coexisting with diverse speleothems of aragonite, calcite, huntite
and dolomite. The mineralogy of the clays is mainly illite, chlorite, kaolinite, smectite,
quartz and Fe oxides and hydroxides such as goethite. They can be transported
into the cave by infiltration waters or form by in situ alteration of the host rock: layers
of dolomite rich in Fe and magnesite interbedded with greywackes and shales.
Present-day hydrological conditions in the cave and conditions during the formation
of speleothems have determined that the clays have not been transported by any
flooding or seepage, but mostly staying in situ, and not included into carbonate crystal
forms . Thus, most of the well-preserved speleothems are white and not stained,
conforming an interesting chromatic contrast with the red clays that represent an
additional attraction in this show cave.