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The International Journal of Speleology is the official journal of the Union Internationale de Spéléologie since 1978 and was founded in 1964. It is a double-blind, peer-reviewed, international scientific journal that publishes research and review articles concerning all sciences involved in karst and caves, such as geology, geomorphology, hydrology, archeology, paleontology, (paleo)climatology, cave meteorology, (geo)microbiology, environmental sciences, physics, chemistry, mineralogy, etc. IJS is published three times per year.

Articles are open access at http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/ijs. The journal is abstracted and indexed in the following services: Directory of Open Access Journals, ISI Thomson Services (Science Citation Index-Expanded including the Web of Science, ISI Alerting Service, Current Contents/Physical, Chemical and Earth Sciences), Bibliography & Index of Geology (GeoRef, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, EarthScienceWISE (Oxmill Publishing), EBSCO publishing, Geobase, Speleological Abstracts (UIS), Ulrich’s Periodical Directory ™, BIOSIS Zoological record, SCOPUS (Elsevier), and SCImago Journal and Country Rank.

LATEST IMPACT FACTOR 2024: 1.3
In Journal of Citation Reports®, Thomson Reuters 2023

SPECIAL ISSUE IN PROGRESS: Volume 54, issue 3 (2025)

Guest Editors: Drs N. Buzjak, A. Persoiu, and C. Pennos

Current Issue: Volume 54, Issue 2 (2025)

Articles

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First insight on the genesis of iron oxide-hydroxide biospeleothems in Rancho Chico Lava Tube, Mexico
Rafael López-Martínez, Elizabeth Solleiro-Rebolledo, Rocio Alcántara-Hernández, Teresa Pi Puig, Sergey Sedov, Daisy Valera Fernández, M. Nayeli Luis-Vargas, Yasmany Lima Vera, Jesús Solé, and Ramon Espinasa-Pereña

  • First report of massive Fe oxide biospeleothems in a Mexican lava tube
  • Speleothems are composed of ferrihydrite, halloysite, goethite, and clays
  • Microbial features and 16S data confirm Fe-oxidizer-mediated deposition
  • Soil processes mobilize Fe, enabling microbial precipitation in lava tubes
  • Petrography and geochemistry reveal multiphase, microbially driven genesis

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Abiotic factors influencing anuran occupation of Neotropical Brazilian caves
Vinícius F. Sperandei, Willian Vaz-Silva, and Tejerina-Garro L. Francisco

  • Anuran cave occupancy is shaped by land use, altitude, and lithology
  • Lithologies influence cave microclimates, favoring habitat-restricted species
  • Generalist and specialist anurans show distinct responses to environment
  • Conservation must include caves, buffer zones, and surrounding geodiversity
  • Knowledge gaps in biospeleology stress the need for targeted anuran studies

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The taxonomy and origins of folia: a brief review
Donald G. Davis, Louise D. Hose, and Harvey R. DuChene

  • All speleothems described as folia demonstrate a few common elements
  • Cave folia are genetically associated with fluctuating environmental interfaces.
  • Classic folia form by calcite accretion at water-surface interface during descending phases
  • Authors recognize seven folia types according to the controlling interface
  • Folia have been described as formed by calcite, mud, lava, halite, and sulfur

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New evidence of mid-Pleistocene glaciations in the French Jura Mountains using debris flow deposits and U/Th dating of speleothems (Verneau karst network)
Margot Vivier, Stéphane Jaillet, Eglantine Husson, Edwige Pons Branchu, and Jean-Baptiste Charlier

  • Debris deposits are associated with ancient fluvio-glacial flows of Rissian glaciation
  • Laminated clay deposits indicate ancient flooding in the karst system
  • Speleothems surround detrital deposits and link them to the Riss (MIS 8-6)