Gypsum caves as indicators of climate-driven river incision and aggradation in a rapidly uplifting region

Subhorizontal gypsum caves in the Northern Apennines, Italy, serve as indicators of climate-driven river incision and aggradation. These caves form during cold periods with stable river beds, while renewed cave formation occurs rapidly during river entrenchment. U-Th dating of calcite speleothems provides minimum age constraints for cave passage formation, revealing that speleothem ages coincide with warmer, wetter periods when CO2 availability in soils was greater. This climate-driven model suggests a broader applicability to karst systems in temperate, uplifting regions, offering insights into the interplay between geological processes and climatic conditions.

Columbu, A., De Waele, J., Forti, P., Montagna, P., Picotti, V., Pons-Branchu, E., Hellstrom, J., Bajo, P., & Drysdale, R. (2015). Gypsum caves as indicators of climate-driven river incision and aggradation in a rapidly uplifting region. Geology, 43(6), 539–542. https://doi.org/10.1130/g36595.1