Hypogene speleogenesis in carbonates by cooling hydrothermal flow: The case of Mt. Berenike caves, Israel

Authors

Roi Roded, Duke University, Durahm, USAFollow
Boaz Langford, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, IsraelFollow
Einat Aharonov, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, IsraelFollow
Piotr Szymczak, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, PolandFollow
Micka Ullman, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, IsraelFollow
Shemesh Yaaran, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, IsraelFollow
Boaz Lazar, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, IsraelFollow
Amos Frumkin, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, IsraelFollow

Highlights

• Mt. Berenike hypogenic caves in Israel were surveyed and embedded in geology and hydrology context
• The caves serve as a case study to examine the Confined-Cooling-Flow (CCF) speleogenesis model
• The CCF model involves carbonates' retrograde solubility and a simple thermo-hydro-chemical scenario
• Model elucidates intricate maze-cave formation in Mt. Berenike and other enigmatic instances
• Findings support CCF model applicability to large, globally widespread hypogenic caves

Abstract

The Berenike hypogenic cave system near Lake Kinneret, Israel, provides a valuable case study for investigating the recently proposed Confined-Cooling-Flow (CCF) speleogenesis model. Field and speleological surveys, along with existing research, are used to provide a thorough analysis. The CCF model relies on a simple thermo-hydro-chemical scenario, involving the rise of CO2-rich hydrothermal fluids discharging into a confined layer. The cooling of these CO2-rich fluids turns them into aggressive solutions due to the inverse relation between temperature and solubility of carbonates (retrograde solubility). Previous geochemical and numerical analyses of the CCF model predict localized and persistent dissolution and speleogenesis on short geologic timescales and reproduce common characteristics of hypogene cave morphology. The present study examines speleogenesis in Berenike by correlating it spatially and temporally with the geologic history and hydrogeology of the region and refers to the cave location and appearance in the rock section. The relatively clear and preserved morphologic features at various scales allow for further insights. Particularly, the CCF model can explain enigmatic field observations, such as the location of the largest passages at some distance away from the feeder. It also accounts for the formation of intricate maze-like networks in soluble rock successions and confined conditions, not explained by other models. Finally, this study suggests that the CCF model has broader applicability in understanding the formation of numerous large hypogenic karst and maze cave systems that are globally widespread.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5038/1827-806X.53.2.2505

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Roded, R., Langford, B., Aharonov, E., Szymczak, P., Ullman, M., Yaaran, S., Lazar, B., Frumkin, A., 2024. Hypogene speleogenesis in carbonates by cooling, confined hydrothermal flow: The case of Mt. Berenike caves, Israel. International Journal of Speleology, 53(2), 191-209. https://doi.org/10.5038/1827-806X.53.2.2505