, Auditorium
The coralloid speleothems of Coral Cave exhibit a distinctive mineral assemblage and zonal microstructure that indicate mineral formation under complex and evolving geochemical conditions. The association of fluorite, opal-A, calcite, and clay-rich alteration zones suggests that mineralizing fluids were chemically evolved and interacted extensively with the host granite. These characteristics are consistent with low-temperature alteration processes that may reflect a combination of deep-circulation meteoric waters and more localized hypogene contributions focused along structural discontinuities.
The Coral Cave coralloids highlight the potential complexity of mineralization processes in granite-hosted pseudokarst and demonstrate that such systems should not be interpreted solely as products of shallow meteoric or biologically mediated processes. The results emphasize the need for cautious and nuanced interpretation, and point to the importance of future isotopic, geochemical, and hydrologic investigations to better resolve formation mechanisms.
Anatoliy Bulychov, and Maria Bulychova
NSS of the USA; Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy SB RAS