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Post-doc opportunity in karst paleoclimatic studies at UT Austin

Post-doctoral fellowship in karst hydrogeology, isotope geochemistry, and paleoclimate, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin.

We seek a postdoctoral fellow with expertise in one or more of the following areas: karst hydrogeology, isotope geochemistry, and paleoclimate. Pending approval of funding, this position will be part of a project to examine the utility of speleothems to reconstruct the Pleistocene-Holocene climatic history of the Edwards Plateau in central Texas. Experience with instrumentation, both for field
monitoring (data logging of drips, cave air, and soil conditions, etc.) and laboratory-based studies (U-series disequilibrium dating), is preferred. The Jackson School of Geosciences houses state-of-the-art mass spectrometry facilities and strong research groups in the hydrologic and climate sciences. Opportunities for interdisciplinary studies are available through the Environmental Science Institute. Funding is for one year, with the potential for renewal of appointment up to three years.

The position is available starting in January 2009 or sooner. To apply, send a CV and letter of interest to Jay L. Banner at banner@mail.utexas.edu. The University of Texas is an equal opportunity employer.

New articles online in the IJS

The International Journal of Speleology is happy to inform that two articles of the Special Issue (37(3)) directed by Dominique Genty, to be out in October 2008, are already available online at the website www.ijs.speleo.it:

Report of a three-year monitoring programme at Heshang Cave, Central China

Chaoyong Hu - Gideon M. Henderson - Junhua Huang - Zhenghong Chen - Kathleen R. Johnson.

The environmental features of the Monte Corchia cave system (Apuan Alps, central Italy) and their effects on speleothems growth

Leonardo Piccini - G. Zanchetta - R.N. Drysdale - J. Hellstrom - I. Isola - A.E. Fallick - G. Leone - M. Doveri - M. Mussi - F. Mantelli - G. Molli - L. Lotti - A. Roncioni - E. Regattieri - M. Meccheri - L. Vaselli.

We have several other articles in progress and these also will be posted on the website very soon.

I also remind you that this extra issue (the 3rd this year) is published thanks to the great financial support of many persons and institutions. See website for details.

Have a nice reading.

Best wishes
Jo De Waele

IJS and ISI listing

I am glad to announce that the International Journal of Speleology has been included in the following ISI Thomson Reuters products beginning with volume 36(1) 2007:

- Science Citation Index-Expanded including the Web of Science,

- ISI Alerting Service,

- Current Contents/Physical, Chemical & Earth Sciences.

This achievement is the result of several years of hard work.

Now cave and karst scientists have the opportunity of publishing in three ISI listed journals:

- Journal of Cave and Karst Studies (IF 1.000),
- Acta Carsologica (will have IF soon)
- and the International Journal of Speleology.

The fact that three journals are now ISI listed will have benefits for Impact Factors of these journals.

I wish to thank you all.

Best wishes from a very happy editor-in-chief,

Jo De Waele
Prof. Jo De Waele
Istituto Italiano di Speleologia
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e Geologico-Ambientali
Universita di Bologna Alma Mater Studiorum
Via Zamboni 67 - 40126 Bologna

The Worlds Greatest Karst Disaster?

Involving one hundred years of well-intended anthropogenic destruction, which is destroying a unique karst groundwater system and habitat

by Mike Buchanan

August 2008

The city of Johannesburg in South Africa had its beginnings 1886 when gold was discovered on the Witwatersrand by an Australian prospector named George Harrison.

Most gold mines in the Johannesburg (JHB) area ceased operation in the late 1970s. These closed mines were considered as future potential reserves. Interspersed amongst them were a few productive mines, which continued to pump out invading groundwater. The mining houses had long relied upon the South African government to help finance the back pumping of ingressing groundwater to enable access to continuous supplies of gold from deeper gold rich seams. At the time many leading academics and others were unaware that the water they were back pumping came from the abundant, dolomitic rock that surrounds Johannesburg. Furthermore, these groundwater reservoirs were of a great depth and area, thus containing an immense water reserve.

In 1995 the government discontinued its pumping subsidy and allowed the un-used voids to fill with groundwater. By 2002 the groundwater table essentially restored itself to the pre mining days and started overflowing from natural springs at the lowest altitude, which is located 1.5km north of the Krugersdorp Game Reserve (KGR), west of Johannesburg. Output or decant was recorded at 15 -30 ml per day with seasonal variation. It was only when fish, birds and then mammals started dying within the KGR that anyone sat up and took notice. On investigation the decanting water was found to contain elevated levels of sulphates of 5300mg/l (Council for Geosciences readings). The Environmental Protection Agency primary (enforceable) maximum contaminant level for sulphates in drinking water is 500 mg/l. On closer investigation the findings reported a plethora of heavy metals including high uranium, lead 1,2,3 (as a result of both geological dissolution and that of uranium dissolution), molybdenum, manganese, zinc and other unacceptably high heavy metals. The actual total volume of overflow water appears to be increasing which suggests leakage from the old storage dams.

The sulphate levels were directly attributed to the dissolution of the gold bearing conglomerate which includes pyrites and the latter mentioned heavy metals. Diverse bacteria, particularly acidithiobacillus were being held responsible for the elevated sulphate levels which caused the discharging groundwater to have a pH of around 2.0. The bacterium most often responsible for iron and sulphur consumption/dissolution is Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, but usually other species also occur.

A honeycomb of thousands of kilometres of interconnected mine shafts, tunnels and voids under JHB and the entire Witwatersrand created a diversionary storm water drainage system for the greater JHB catchment. Many mega litres of storm water had been inadvertently allowed to pass through this now expansive subterranean drainage system which decants west of JHB. As a result of this diversionary flow during winter months (lowest rainfall) the entire process is slowed right down, allowing for mega litres of groundwater to be impacted by the acidic exudation of huge and expanding colonies of acidithiobacillus. This continuing process now sees the water being contaminated by diverse species of Thiobacillus bacteria. These organisms are producing corrosive plumes which emanate from over 200 mineshafts and now all the contaminated rivers around JHB. Although this is a centrally important in mine management, and absolutely crucial to the problems which arise in karst sites, it is an extremely complex and not fully understood phenomenon.

The dolomite Karst surrounding JHB is highly interconnected. It is hypothesized to be
a) one of the globe’s oldest (c. 2300 billion years old)
b) overlain by the Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC) and
c) being vastly expansive covering an area of 500km x 250km which could mean that this is a unique kind of regenerating (post the BIC cover) Karst system.

The total catchment is much larger by the mere virtue of the system being so vast. Catchments involved are the Limpopo River Catchment to the northeast and the Vaal River Catchment to the south west. Both of which provide water to South Africa and her neighbours - Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique. The Limpopo based karst is a cross boundary karst as it is shared with Botswana.

A mean average of approximately 20 mega liters per day of contaminated groundwater has flowed into rivers and karst systems from the mining voids of JHB over the past six years with little or no intervention to launder the water within the voids. The overflowing fluvial flow disappears via a sunken stream or swallet some three kilometers downstream the now smitten KGR. Unfortunately this contaminated AMD water is being returned to the dolomite karst aquifers in a highly contaminated form. Hypotheses have been leveled at the South

African authorities as to the outcomes in years to come from a karst health, structural and water quality point of view to no avail. Offers of assistance from the international community have also been turned away as the Government appears to believe that there is not any cause for concern. It is a nice example of the Ostrich syndrome.

The action being taken is only dealing with the over-flowing water which is processed and sold at a considerable and profitable price by government sanctioned companies. There appears to be no awareness at all that this water is only a very small part of the total groundwater reservoir and there is inevitably a great diversity of underground flows through the karst. Thus the current program serves opportunistically to increase revenue, but has no impact at all on reducing the problem and probably exacerbates it. Regrettably the ostrich response means that it is not possible to do any further research or even to properly monitor what is happening

Many hundreds of viable wild cave habitats, including the world famous Cradle of Humankind World Heritage fossil site at Sterkfontein are in direct conflict with the ongoing decant and associated complications. It is really very clear that unless appropriate action is taken, there will be irreversible detrimental damage to the world Heritage Site and to the greater Witwatersrand and her people, not to mention the detriment which will play out and also damage South Africa’s unsuspecting neighbours. This will include the belated impact to the world famous Kruger National Park which is in a direct surface flow path of the Limpopo River and the associated Oliphant’s River catchments.

1. Nordstrom, D.K. & Southam, G. 1997. Geomicrobiology of sulfide mineral oxidation. In Geomicrobiology: Interactions between microbes and minerals, Reviews in Mineralogy, 35, 361-390.

Hypogenic Speleogenesis Conference (Ukraine, May 2009): Extended deadline

The International Conference on "Hypogenic Speleogenesis and Karst Hydrogeology of Artesian Basins" will be held in May 2009 in Western Ukraine (Chernivtsy), an internationally recognized model region of hypogenic speleogenesis in stratified artesian settings. The region hosts the world's largest gypsum maze caves. Field excursions through karst areas of Bukovina, Pridnestrovskaja Podolia and Pokutje will be organized between and after scientific sessions. They will offer a unique opportunity for participants to familiarize themselves with a spectrum of evolutionary types of karst (from deep-seated to entrenched), presented in the region. Field trips will serve to illustrate scientific and practical issues of hypogenic speleogenesis, karst hydrogeology of artesian basins and engineering geology of covered karst.

Deadline for preliminary registration and abstracts is extended till September 30, 2008.
Sending your early preliminary registration or notice of interest will help plan and organize the event.
(please, contact: institute@speleoukraine.net).

Thesis and Dissertations Directory has been reopened in the Speleogenesis Network

As you know this section is established for publication of titles and abstracts of BSc MSc and PhD thesis relevant to karstology and geospeleology. This will help young researchers make their works better known to the scientific community of karst and cave scientists, and make readers aware of works, many of which remain unpublished and overlooked. We kindly ask our readers, especially those who are university professors and thesis supervisors, assist us in publicising this opportunity among scholars. We call for thesis titles and abstracts (extended abstracts can include few "key" figures), which can be supplemented by the link to full works if they are available on the web.

Registered members of Speleogenesis.info can publish thesis announcements from their member panel.

For further details please, contact Alexander Klimchouk.

The Atlas of Cave Morphs is now alive!

We are happy to inform cave and karst scientists that the project "Atlas of Cave Morphs", preliminary announced earlier, is eventually launched online:

http://network.speleogenesis.info/directory/atlas/index.php

You can also access the Atlas via menu under "Projects" on the Speleogenesis Network startpage.

The Atlas of Cave Morphs is an informal collaborative project of the UIS Commission on Karst Hydrogeology and Speleogenesis run through Speleogenesis Network.

The goal is to create the structured collection (repository) of annotated images of type and unique cave morphologies, a representative resource for knowledge discovery in the field of speleogenesis. The Atlas provides not only a reference source and an image gallery, but a collaborative workspace for the image collection, analysis, interpretation and categorization.

We kindly invite all researcher possessing representative images of cave morphologies contribute them to the Atlas. There is an easy option for uploading your image and assigning metadata needed for understanding and interpretation of respective morphologies.

Search options based on metadata will be incorporated in the Atlas soon.

Some 17 images for various cave morphs are included at the start. We hope for your active contribution and quick growth of the collection. Your views and suggestions regarding the project are welcome - please, post them at the respective section of the Speleogenesis Forum:

http://network.speleogenesis.info/member/blog/blog_postings.php?topic_id=10

Sincerely yours,

--Alexander Klimchouk, the project coordinator

--Alexey Koptchinsky, the Speleogenesis webmaster

Tribute symposium for Derek Ford and Paul Williams during IGC 33 in Oslo

During the 33 International geological Congress in Oslo, 6-14 August 2008, the symposium GSM-03 is dedicated as a tribute to Derek and Paul for their lifelong and ground-breaking contributions in karst science.

I therefore invite you to submit presentations and to attend the symposium. Please keep in mind that the deadline is short, abstracts must be submitted before February 29th 2008. See www.33igc.org for details.

Please feel free to spread this mail to everyone who may be interested to contribute.

Stein-Erik Lauritzen
professor, Dr. philos.

Department of earth Science, Bergen University

*************************************************

IGC33 at Oslo, Session GSM-03: Karst as a global phenomenon:
a tribute to Derek Ford and Paul Williams

Professors emeritii Derek Ford (McMaster University, Canada) and Paul Williams (University of Auckland, New Zealand) were both students of Dr. Majorie Sweeting, the ‘grand old lady of karst’, and undertook their doctoral research based at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, respectively, although they spent most of their academic careers in Canada and New Zealand. The ideas of these two individuals have spread worldwide through their many students and post docs. By their academic careers, the two of them have indeed revolutionised karst science through new methodology and models. They were authors of the first comprehensive monograph and textbook on karstology in 1989: Karst Geomorphology and Hydrology (Unwin Hyman), since revised in their new and expanded second edition (2007) Karst Hydrogeology and Geomorphology (Wiley). The symposium invites their former students and world-wide colleagues to submit presentations in speleogenesis, karst geomorphology, palaeokarst and karst hydrogeology.

Depending on the number of attendants, we aim at an oral session focussed on review- type papers, accompanied with an expanded session or a poster session.

Conveners: Stein-Erik Lauritzen (Bergen), Pavel Bosak (Praha) & Tim Atkinson (London, UK)

Sponsoring the 15th International Speleological Congress

The 15th International Congress of Speleology (ICS) Organizing Committee is working hard toward providing you an excellent conference in 2009. Some of this effort is beginning to appear as updates on our website: www.ics2009.us . I will send you specific information on most of those later, but I want to share one special update here.

The home page of the website has been expanded. It now lists our sponsors and supporters. On behalf of the 15th ICS Organizing Committee, I want to thank and recognize these organizations that are providing money and other contributions to make the 15th ICS an excellent conference and at the lowest possible price. They will be featured in our circulars, as well as the website, and in other ways during and leading up to the ICS. We urge you to show your appreciation to these sponsors by supporting their services and buying their products.

I will briefly describe each below, but first let me ask that if you work, belong to, or have some influence or affiliation with a company, agency, or organization, ask if they would be willing to sponsor the ICS. They don’t have to be in the US or specifically cave-related to benefit from sponsoring the ICS. If you would like information on how to sponsor the ICS and what the ICS offers in return, contact Fund Raising Chairman Ron Ralph at sponsors@ics2009.us . All US contributions are tax deductible. We also welcome ideas for possible sponsors, but especially welcome your assistance in contacting them for support!

Please remember, for sponsors to receive maximum exposure through ICS circulars and other media, and to keep ICS registration prices as low as possible for our friends traveling from other countries and for students, we must receive commitments to sponsorship by 1 March 2008!

Our sponsors are divided into four categories based on the amount of their contribution or support.

At the highest “Karst” level (>$15,000) is the U.S. National Cave and Karst Research Institute.

The “Cavern” level ($5,000 - $15,000) has the Edwards Aquifer Authority, ESRI, HEB Grocery, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Not yet shown on the website are the recent sponsorships at this level by the Texas Cave Management Association and the U.S. Geological Survey.

The “Speleologist” level ($1,000 - $5,000) includes the Hoffman Environmental Institute, the Texas Speleological Association, and the Texas Speleological Survey. Not yet shown on the website is the recent sponsorship by the Bexar Grotto (the caving club closest to the ICS venue which is also doing much of the ICS work) and Good Earth Graphics, which has contributed enough to be elevated from its current website listing of In Kind Support.

In that category, we are happy to list Bat Conservation International, SpeleoProjects, and Switchback Designs.

Again, we thank our generous sponsors and supporters and hope you will join us in supporting them.

George Veni

Chairman, 15th International Congress of Speleology

Adjunct Secretary, International Union of Speleology

Executive Director, U.S. National Cave and Karst Research Institute

Karst session at the International Geological Congress in Oslo, 2008

There will be a session "International perspectives on karst aquifers
and water resources" at the International Geological Congress in Oslo,
Norway in August 2008.

The IGC website is http://www.33igc.org/coco/, and please note that
the abstract deadline is February 29, 2008.

Session HYH-09 "International perspectives on karst aquifers and water
resources"
Convenors: Chris Groves, Yuan Daoxian, Bartolome Andreo-Navarro,
Heather Viles (UNESCO-IUGS-IGCP 513)

This symposium is sponsored by the UNESCO/IUGS International
Geoscience Programme (IGCP) 513: Global Study of Karst Aquifers and
Water Resources. While it has been estimated that over one billion
people rely on karst aquifers for water supply, these systems often
present serious challenges with regard to both water quantity and
quality, even in places of relatively abundant rainfall. In many
countries with serious karst-related water supply issues, there are
also limited resources with which to solve these problems. The
purpose of this Symposium is to share perspectives on karst-related
water supply issues, and their solutions, from a variety of
international perspectives. Further information about IGCP 513 can be
found at http://hoffman.wku.edu/igcp/513.html.

Pending approval by UNESCO/IUGS in spring 2008, limited travel support
for presenters is expected to be available through IGCP. Please email
IGCP513@gmail.com for information about this session.

Thanks!

Chris Groves

International Journal of Speleology 37(1) is now online

We are glad to announce that the first issue of 2008 of the International Journal of Speleology is now online in our website www.ijs.speleo.it. This issue, 37(1), is a special issue dedicated to Karst Hydrogeology in Caves, guest-edited by Bartolomé Andreo (Malaga, Spain). I would like to thank Bartolomé for his outstanding work on behalf of the entire IJS community.

I would also like to let you know that IJS will now publish accepted articles online before the paper versions will be printed. This allows to speed up the publishing process, and I hope this will make publishing in IJS more appealing.

I wish you all a nice reading.

Best regards,
The editor of IJS
Jo De Waele

Hypogene caves in Iraq (Kurdistan) 2007

Not too many cavers will seriously think about going to Iraq at the moment. Consequently, the only comprehensive source on the caves of Iraq is a speleological bibliography published by Claude Chabert, Ray Mansfield & Pierre Strinati in 2000. However, there is a different part of Iraq existing where terrorists and kidnapping are unknown and where people are very hospitable to foreigners: the autonomous region of Kurdistan in the northeast of Iraq. The famous Shanidar Cave from where Neanderthal burials are known is located here.

Due to favourable circumstances a Kurdish-German cave surveying project became a reality in October/November 2007. This was carried out on invitation of the Kurdish Minister of Tourism and had brilliant logistical support by the Museum of Antiquities in Suleymaniyah. Within 3 weeks 21 caves with a total passage length of 8,115 metres were mapped, firmly establishing Kuna Kamtiar as the longest cave of Iraq currently 5,060 m in length. The cave is a complicated network of fossil rift passages created by sulphuric acid water (similar to Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico, USA).

Another highlight was Trshawaka, a limestone cave with a sulphuric spring inside. The sulphuric acid has dissolved the carbonate rock and has produced a rind of replacive gypsum that covers the cave’s roof and walls. The source of the sulphur is supposed to be an underground hydrocarbon deposit. Exploration of Trshawaka was stopped in wide open river passage due to lack of time. The resurgence of the cave river is supposed to be about 1 km further towards the northeast. There are only a few active caves with sulphuric water known on a world-wide scale – e.g. Kane Caves in Wyoming, Cueva de Villa Luz in Mexico and Movile Cave in Romania, all of which having a unique biospeleology.

The cave potential in NE Iraq remains very high and the local authorities are keen to conduct further investigations. The results of the 2007 expedition will be available soon in English language in the publication series “Berliner Höhlenkundliche Berichte.”

Michael Laumanns
michael.laumanns@bmf.bund.de

List of the longest caves known in Iraq (as at November 2007):

No. Cave  Location   Length (in metres)
1.Kuna Kamtiar -- Kirkuk governorate  5,060 m*
2.Sahra  -- Sulaimani governorate  1,080 m*
3.Fasaya -- Haditha city (Euphrat valley) approx. 1,000 m (no survey)
4.Pigeon Cave -- Haditha city (Euphrat valley) approx. 732 m (no survey)
5.Kuna Baa -- Sulaimani governorate  767 m*
6.Kouna -- Kowter/Malan Dohuk gov.(?), Tahkt-e-Solehman approx. 650 m (sketch)
7.Useiba -- Publication to be traced   570 m
8.Gejkar -- Sulaimani governorate  438 m*

* Surveyed by the 2007 Kurdish-German cave project.

“CALL OF THE ABYSS": Results of the Ukr.S.A. August-September 2007 expedition to Krubera Cave

In the period August 5 – September 15, 2007 the Ukrainian Speleological Association (Ukr.S.A.) have conducted the regular expedition of the "Call of the Abyss" Project to Krubera (Voronja) Cave in Arabika Massif, Abkhazia, the deepest cave in the World. A scientific program of the expedition and cave surveying has been supervised by the Ukrainian Institute of Speleology and Karstology (UISK).

The expedition, led by Yury Kasjan, consisted of 41 members including 29 cavers from Ukraine (Kiev – 9; Simferopol – 6; Poltava – 5; Kharkiv – 4; Sevastopol – 2; Ivan-Frankivsk – 1; Khmelnitsky – 1; Kamenetz-Podilsky – 1), 10 cavers from Russia (Moscow – 5; Ufa – 2; Kazan – 2; Novokuznetsk – 1), 1 caver from Belorussia and 1 caver from Great Britain. Some other cavers from Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine) and Moldova, which have been working in the area as separate groups, also helped in Krubera operations.

There were three main exploration fronts pursued during the expedition:

1) The bottom sifon "Two Captains", explored by the previous Ukr.S.A. expedition in August 2006 to a squeeze at -14 m (-2158 m of total depth). In this expedition divers Gennadiy Samokhin and Yury Evdokimov made several dives pushing the sifon further on. The farthest (140 m) and deepest (-45.5 m) point has been reached by G.Samokhin, which gave a new depth for the cave at -2191 m. The sifon continues down as a steeply inclined passage.

2) The Nekujbyshevskaya branch, a distinct branch diverging from the main one at -250 m and stretching to the north-west, the direction opposite to the overall trend of the main branch. Following the major breakthrough made by the previous Ukr.S.A. expedition, the team led by Kyrylo Markovskoy explored many new passages and pits there to the depth of -1293 ì.

3) Side passages and sifons at various depths in the main branch between the bottom and -1775 m. G.Samokhin and Y.Evdokimov made 75 exploration dives in various sifons (not counting free dives in sifons on the main trail during regular transport operations). The main results were achieved in a side branch previously ended at -1775 m by the "Blue Lake" sifon. Behind the "Blue Lake", a series of air-filled passages has been explored, separated by 6 sifons. The farthest sifon "Yantarny" has been explored for 130 m in length and 19.5 m in depth and continues. The deepest point in this branch has been reached at -1841 m.

Altogether, 2510.5 m of new passages has been surveyed during this expedition.

The updated 3D model of Krubera Cave (VRML) can be viewed at
http://www.network.speleogenesis.info/directory/exploration/krubera.php

New total figures for Krubera Cave:
- Total depth: 2191ì
- Total length: 13 232ì

The scientific program performed during the expedition included temperature measurements, geological observations, microbiological sampling and sampling of clastic sediments (for mineralogical analyses) and speleothems (for dating and isotope analyses).

During 29 days of underground operations in this expedition five underground camps were in use. The expedition has removed all camp wastes to the surface and further from the mountains, including those from the deepest camps (including camps at -1960m and -1640m).

Yury Kasjan and Alexander Klimchouk, the CA Project co-ordinators

Karst Sessions at the EGU General Assembly, Vienna Austria, 13-18 April 2008

The following karst/cave related sessions are planned within the EGU General Assembly, Vienna Austria, 13-18 April 2008:

NH 8.1 "Natural and Antropogenic Hazards in karst areas"
Conveners: De Waele, J., Plan, L., Filipponi, M.
Details at
http://www.cosis.net/members/meetings/skeleton/session_information.php?p_id=308&s_id=5226

GM4.4 "Surface and Subsurface Karst Geomorphology"
Conveners: Parise, M., Gutierrez, F., De Waele, J.
Details at
http://www.cosis.net/members/meetings/skeleton/session_information.php?p_id=304&s_id=5511

SSP2 "Strengths and limitations of speleothem archives"
Conveners: Spötl, C., Fairchild, I., Fleitmann, D., Mangini, A.
http://www.cosis.net/members/meetings/sessions/information.php?p_id=298&s_id=5468

The deadline for the abstracts is January 14th.

Information on the meeting:
http://meetings.copernicus.org/egu2008/

Information on abstract submission at:
http://meetings.copernicus.org/egu2008/how_to_submit_an_abstract.html

11th Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst™

11th Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst™ - Deadline for abstract submission is extended by November 28, 2007.

Call For Papers

11th Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst™

Submit your Abstracts by November 28, 2007!

Be a part of the most important international conference on the practical impacts of karst terrain. Share experiences with professionals from around the world. The complex hazards of karst terrain affect foundations, utilities, highways, and transportation facilities, and present contamination hazards to ground and surface water resources. Since 1984, geologists, geotechnical and environmental engineers, hydrogeologists, geographers, government officials, and a wide variety of professionals working in areas of karst terrain have gathered at the Multidisciplinary Conferences on Sinkholes and the Engineering & Environmental Impacts of Karst™ to learn from each other. If you ever work in karst terrain, you will benefit from attending this conference.

The 11th edition of these multidisciplinary karst conferences is now accepting abstracts.

The website is open at www.asce.org/conferences/karst2008. Present a paper, exhibit your services or products, update your professional development with short courses, and enjoy Florida’s springs and karst on the field trip. Join your colleagues in Tallahassee, Florida, next September. Don’t miss it!

Get on Track!

USGS Karst Post-doc position available

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) invites applications for the
Mendenhall Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program.

For one of these fellowships, the research topic is "The impacts of Quaternary climate change on karst geomorphology and hydrology in the
Appalachian region." For more information on preparing an application
proposal for this opportunity, please contact one of the research
advisors: David Weary, (703) 648-6897, dweary@usgs.gov; Daniel
Doctor, (703) 648-6027, dhdoctor@usgs.gov; Christopher Swezey, (703)
648-6444, cswezey@usgs.gov; Milan Pavich, (703) 648-6963,
mpavich@usgs.gov.

The Mendenhall postdoctoral fellowships are 2-year appointments with
competitive salary and benefits. The closing date for applications
is November 9, 2007. Appointments will start October 2008 or later,
depending on availability of funds. A description of the program,
research opportunities, and the application process are available at:
http://geology.usgs.gov/postdoc.

From KWI mailing

ISEI - International Speleological Expedition to Iran

Une expédition internationale en Iran (ISEI) sous le patronnage de l'Union Internationale de Spéléologie (UIS) se prépare à l'initiative de Fadi nader, Eric Vandenbrouck et Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns pour septembre-octobre 2008. Vous êtes intéressés d'y participer, vous désirez simplement en savoir plus, vous souhaitez soutenir ou sponsoriser sa réalisation et l'aide qui sera fournie au spéléologues locaux... visitez alors notre site Web:

http://iran.speleo.tv/index.php?pg=3

Régulièrement mis à jour avec les dernières nouvelles et informations il est en constante évolution. N'hésitez donc pas à le revisiter. Vous désirez nous faire part d'une idée, d'un avis, d'une information, un forum est à votre disposition. Il suffit de cliquer sur cet onglet. Merci de votre visite.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

An international expedition to Iran (ISEI) under the patronage of the International Union of Speleology (UIS) is being prepared, following the initiative of Fadi Nader, Eric Vandenbrouck and Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns in September-October 2008.

If you want to participate, if you would just like to know more about it, if you wish to support or sponsor its realization and the help that will be provided to local cavers, visit our Website:

http://iran.speleo.tv/index.php?pg=3

Regularly updated with the latest news and information, it is in constant development. Please feel free to check it regularly. If you would like to pass on an idea, an opinion or information, a forum is available. Just click on this tab. Thank you for your visit.

Acta Carsologica has entered the SCI Expanded

After several years of evaluation processes at ISI, Acta Carsologica has entered the SCI Expanded http://www.thomsonscientific.com/cgi-bin/jrnlst/jloptions.cgi?PC=D.

Acta Carsologica is the second cave & karst journal included in the base, after Journal of Cave and Karst Studies.

Although a good reason to celebrate, the coverage brings more obligations than pleasure. Our IF will be measured and reported, what means that we have to work on the quality and "citability" of the published papers.

There is a new AC web page, active since one year. Please visit http://carsologica.zrc-sazu.si .

Last but not least, you are all invited as contributors to Acta Carsologica.

Yours sincerely,

Andrej Kranjc, Editor-in-Chief
Franci Gabrovsek, Co-Editor

Deep cave explorations in the Western Caucasus: Connection of Illjuzia Cave to the Snezhnaja-Mezhennogo system sets it the World's 2nd deepest cave

According to the report of Alexey Shelepin, the leader of the ongoing expedition of the Speleological Commission of the Russian Geographic Society (Moscow), Illjuzia Cave has been connected to the Snezhnaja-Mezhennogo System on August 2nd.

The system is located in the Bzybsky Massif adjacent to Arabika, the host massif for the world’s deepest cave Krubera (-2.158m). Illjuzia Cave is the uppermost entrance to the system at 2390 m. The amplitude of the Snezhnaja-Mezhennogo-Illjuzia System is now 1750 m and lenght is 23 km. The connection is a culmination of long-lasted efforts in Illuzia Cave. Congratulations!

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