Fractured speleothems are healed as a result of CaCO3 crystallization within the fractures.
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External vs. internal supply of water to the fractures controls the healing process.
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Healed speleothems can be used in palaeoseismic reconstructions of karst terrains.
Abstract
Healed speleothems, sparsely mentioned in literature, have been noted in one of the side passages of the Demänová Cave System in Slovakia. Speleothem healing commonly proceeds in columns and flowstones after their brittle deformation. Crystallization of calcium carbonate in fractures and along their mouths results in formation of various outgrowths: subvertical ridges, subhorizontal ridges, and helictites. Morphology of the subvertical ridges and helictites indicates that they were supplied by water migrating through the fractures, while the subhorizontal ridges resulted from gravity-controlled water flow down the speleothem surface. Stable isotope composition of the outgrowths suggests that they crystallized as a result of CO2 degassing, like most speleothems. Since speleothem damages in the DCS are directly linked to fault reactivation, the healed speleothems appear to be advantageous objects for seismotectonic analysis of karst terrains.
