H.Zojer (Austria)

I  regulated some ideas dealing with "geology, climate, hydrology and karst formation"  and  came  to the conclusion that the most proper  work within  the project  carried out by our institute could be done in the field of karst  water protection.

Y.Y.Shopov (Bulgaria)

Our national working group have plans to study the karst region near village Bosnek, Bulgaria as a typical karst area. We obtained luminescent records of the Paleoclimate and Solar activity in the last 35000 yrs (with resolution 9.3  yrs) and  in the last 22000 yrs with resolution of 2.4 months  (110000  measurements) from a cave flowstone from this region. We have plans to study cave microclimate and surface climatical conditions for comparison with this important time seria, to clear the influence of climate on luminescent records. We have plans also  to study hydrology, hydrochemistry and geomorphology of this region.

Dr.Y.Y.Shopov                                                      Dr.L.T.Tsankov
Sofia University                                                     Sofia University
Section Speleology                                                Section Speleology
Faculty of Physics                                                  Faculty of Physics
Sofia 1126, A.Ivanov 5                                          Sofia 1126, A.Ivanov 5
Bulgaria Bulgaria       

Kl.I.Burin                                                               L.N.Georgiev
Sofia University                                                     Sofia University
Section Speleology                                                Section Speleology
Faculty of Physics                                                  Faculty of Physics
Sofia 1126, A.Ivanov 5                                          Sofia 1126, A.Ivanov 5
Bulgaria                                                                 Bulgaria

Dr.V.N.Dermendjiev                                              G.T.Buyukliev
Section of Astronomy & NAO                                Section of Astronomy & NAO
Bulg. Acad. Sci, Sofia 1784.                                  Bulg. Acad.Sci, Sofia 1784.

Dr.G.Baltakov                                                         K.Spasov
Dept. of Geomorphology                                         Dept. of Hydrogeology
Sofia University                                                      High Minning Institute
Sofia 1000, Bulg.                                                    Durvenitsa, Sofia.

P.P.Stefanov                                                           Al. Stoev
Geographical Inst.                                                   People Astronomical Observatoty,
Bulg. Acad Sci. bl.4,                                              "Yu.Gagarin", Stara Zagora
Sofia, Bulg.                                                             Bulg.

Sv. Georgiev
Institute of Soil Science
"Pushkarov", Sofia
Bulg.

D.C.Ford (Canada)

Thank  you  for the excellent Circular Letter No.3. The  contents  are  most interesting.  In  May  or  August I hope to prepare  and  send  at  least  three Correlation Sites in Canada to you. These will be:

(1) Castleguard-alpine and subglacial treppenkarst

(2) Nahanni-sub-arctic (discontinuous permafrost) mountain karst

(3) Carcasou-Dodo-dolomite dissolution breccia karst in discontinuous permafrost.

Javier E.Rodriguez Rubio (Cuba)

In  the  recent  International  Conference  of  the  Study  Group  of  Karst Environmental  Changes of IGU, held in Czechoslovakia, I received  the  circular letters  and  other  documents about the IGCP 299 whose  conception,  goals  and programmes  are, in my opinion, very adequate and necessary for  developing  the world studies on karst.

I  had the opportunity of discussing in Czechoslovakia, with Prof.Ivan Gams, several  views  about the project, as well as the factibility of  setting  up  a national  working group in Cuba and to start the contacts with other  colleagues in  Central, South America and the Caribbean region countries, with the  aim  of integrating a regional working group able to fulfill more concrete contributions to  the programme. This idea was approved by prof.Gams since we both  share  the view  about  the karst of this geographical area  with  (honorable  exceptions), being one of the lesser known and studied in the world.

At  this  respect,  I have started contacts with  specialists  from  Brazil, Argentine, Venezuela, Mexico, etc., and I have sent copies of the programmes.  I hope this become a fruitful idea very soon.

I  am  enclosing to you some papers about the Cuban karstic  researches,  as well as the preliminary registration form to the International Symposium of  the IGCP 299 to be held in your country the summer of 1991.

I  will  send to you the first forms and slides on the more  relevant  karst types in Cuba as well as some news about the working group aforesaid intended to be encouraged.

With the hope to greeting you personally next year, I am.

Pavel Bosak (Czechoslovakia)

I have the honour to inform you, that the National Working Group of the IGCP project 299 was established in Praha, Czechoslovakia on September 4, 1990.

As the Group Secretary, Dr.Pavel Bosak, was elected.

The  members  of the National Working Group studied IGCP  299  materials  in detail, with following results:

1. Czechoslovak karstologists want to participate in the project;

2.  In  the first step, karst of the Bohemian Massif  in  Czechoslovakia  is proposed  as  the main study area. The Bohemian Massif  contains  several  karst regions, some being larger, but many are of the minor extent. But only in  their complexity is the guaranty of valid result on the nature of karst. Therefore  we are not presenting filled form for registration of typical karst area. Maybe  in later project development will be possible to make some characteristics of karst regions studies.

3. The character of the registration form for typical karst area seems to us not to be compiled on up-to-date state of the art in karstology. For example the climageomorphological  view point was abandoned nearly 20 years ago.  More,  the extreme complexity of the form using not clearly defined terms (karst type, etc) is  not  of big advantage. It seems, that the form was compile  to  characterize rather  a single karst locality, than karst region with complex stratigraphy  of karst rock, different geochemistry, numerous paleontologically dated sites etc., for  the computer processing of obtained data in your register should be  chosen modified type of form.

4.  The proposed content of the final report of the project is usefull,  but there is not clearly stated who will compile this extreme volume, each  national working  group,  project manager, or somebody else. As I know  the  practice  in other  projects,  no  final report is supposed. The project will  be  closed  by specialized conference or symposium and main contributions will be published  in Symposium Proceedings. Such volume represents the final report of the project.

5.  For  the  solution  of  some unclear  points  we  propose  to  establish committees  for  karst definition, for terminology of karst  typology,  and  for registration form of the typical karst area.

I  would like to inform you, that we established National Working  Group  in the  Czech  Republic. We decided to established 2 national working  groups  from geographical and geological viewpoints. Karst areas and their evolution  differs so substantially, similarly to the geology, that it is nearly impossible work in both regions. The Czech region consists of epi-Varisean platform with  dispersed type   of  karst.  The  Slovak  region  represents  young  Alpine  geology   and geomorphology.  More the sponsorship of karst investigation in both our  Federal Republics differs in many aspects. I hope, that in the future we will be able to coordinate some type of Federal Committee of the project. I  am very honoured, that participants on the project decided to ask  me  as responsible  for the topic "Reconstruction of paleoenvironment on the  bases  of karst  information". Owing to the projects of the UIS Commission  on  paleokarst and  speleochronology,  I  accept  this  function.  In  our  Commission  now  in preparation   is  special  volume  "Speleochronology  and  its  application   in paleogeographic  analysis", so I will sign it as IGCP 299 publication.  I  would like to ask you to inform intereseted participants on IGCP 299 to contact me and to let me know their views, proposals, suggestions, ideas of the section work.

Dear professor, we shall try to fill forms for special karst area  according to  the  sense  of  your  kind letter. Because we  plan  to  make  synthesis  of paleokarst  and  karst  evolution of the whole  territory  of  the  epi-Varisean platform  of  the Bohemian Massif, we shall fill several forms  for  each  karst regions or area.

Now we are in the phase of preparation of Speleochronology book, I hope that I  shall  arrange publisher during EUG 91 in Strassbourg. Our  national  /Czech/ group  is dealing with compilation of regional karstology of Bohemian Karst  and geochemical  investigation are continuing as well as paleokarst studies  of  the Bohemian  Massif. We are also collaborating with government on  some  ecological studies  in areas with active limestone quarrying and on projects of  geological companies  in karst. The collaboration with archaeologists is  nicely developing also.  In  short  time  we  will send you filled  form  of  typical  areas.  I'm apologizing for delay, but we finished last 5y plan and other rest.

Pavel Bosak (Czechoslovak)

The  karstological  research  has  been carrying  out  in  several  research institutes, Universities,   geological  exploration   companies,   Speleological Societies and by individual persons.

There  are  existing some current research projects, managed mostly  by  the Geological or Geographical Institutes of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in Prague  and Brno. Research and exploration initiatives of amateur  speleologists have been organized by the Czech Speleological Society.

The  main  focus  is  to  characterize  some  main  problems:  (1)  climatic oscillations  and  changes of the environment of the Bohemian  Massif  and  West Carpathians  during  the  Cenozoic, and (2)  physico-chemical  and  hydrological research   with  special  interest  to  man  impact  to  karst   processes   and environments.  Developed is also paleokarstological research, which has a  great tradition in our country.

Members of the National Working Group are currently interested in  following problems:

(1)  paleokarst  and  weathering products,  their  mineralogical,  chemical, geomorphological investigations;

(2) paleontological research of Quaternary deposits, there are existing more than  250  studied  profiles and hundreds of point  localities  within  Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia;

(3) paleogeomorphology of the Moravian karst based on sedimentary  fillings, covers etc.

(4)  physico-chemical  characteristics of waters  (aggressivity affected  by pollutions etc.)

(5)  bioindications  of actual karst processes and changes in  karst,  their causes;

(6)  influence of man activity to endokarst processes (agriculture,  mining, tourism, etc.)

(7)   physical  investigation  of  cave  environment,  the  radon   problem, speleotherapy;

(8)  geomorphological and hydrogeological comparison studies of karst  areas of the Bohemian Massif (also in connection to Polish activities);

(9)   hydrological   and  hydrogeological   structures,   their   chemistry, microbiology, man impact etc.

(10) radiocarbon dating of water and deposits

We  suppose, that during the extension of the group membership,  also  other main research fields will appear.

Dr.Vladimir  Panos,  Institute of Geography, Czechoslovak Academy  of  Sciences, Mendlove namesti 1, 662 82 Brno, Czechoslovakia.

Dr.Jan  Silar,  Department of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology,  Faculty  of Natural  Sciences, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 43  Praha. Czechoslovakia.

Dr.Vojen Lozek, Korenskeho 1, 150 00 Praha 5, Czechoslovakia.Dr.Vaclav  Cilek  jun., Inst. of Geology, Czechoslovak  Academy  of  Sciences, Rozvojova 135, 165 00 Praha 6, Czechoslovakia.

Dr.Pavel Bosak, Jivenska 1066/7, 140 00 Praha 4, Czechoslovakia

Dr.Ivan  Horacek,  Dept.  of  Zoology,  Faculty  of  Natural  Sciences,  Charles University, Benatska u1, 128 00 Praha 2, Czechoslovakia

Dr.Radek Pucalka, Inst. of Geography, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Mendlovo namesti 1, 662 82 Brno, Czechoslovakia

Dr.Otakar Stelel, Inst. of Geography, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences,  Medlov namesti 1, 662 82 Brno, Czechoslovak

Dr.Jaroslav Vasatko, Inst. of Geography, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Medlov namesti 1, 662 82 Brno, Czechoslovak

Denes Balazs (Hungary)

I  organized  the Hungarian working group of the IGCP project 299.  We  are altogether only 8 persons, but all are very active people. Because we will  work on two themes, we have two subgroups.

1. subgroup: hydrothermal karst correlation programme

members:

TAKACSNE-BOLNER Katalin, geologist, Speleological Institute, Budapest;

NADOR Annamaria, geologist, Hung. State Geological Institute, Budapest;

KRAUS Sandor, geologist, Hungarian Speleological Society, Budapest;

Both  these  young  specialist  have worked on  this  field  together  since many years. They are now preparing their working programme for the next years. I will send it in my next letter.

2. subgroup: karst documentation programme

Members:

BALAZS  Denes,  geographer, Hungarian Speleological Soc., leader  of  the  whole working group;

SZEKELY Kinga, geographer, Speleological Institute, Budapest;

HALA Jozsef, librarian, Hung. State Geological Inst., Budapest;

SZABLYAR Peter, engineer, Institute for Alluminium Industry, Bp.

MARTINOVICH Sandor, cartographer, Institute of Cartography, Bp.

We made also our working plan for 1991-1994, which I shall send you also  in my next letter. In  the  second subgroup we should like to make a  world-wide  data-base  of karsts  and  caves.  We think that is a  very  important  fundamental  research, because now nobody knows how many karst areas and caves are in the world. We try to  make  the first list of the biggest karst areas of the world. We  prepare  a karst  Atlas of the World, also big wall maps of karst and the  distribution  of carbonate caves, gypsum caves, volcanic caves etc.

On  behalf  of IGCP 299, I am in contact with many institution  and  private researchers  in  the world for completing our data-base. This  is  a  tremendous work, but I like to do it. It needs also much more money (post expenses), but in this matter I got help from the Hungarian Speleological Society. It is difficult to  get  united  information  from the USSR and  USA,  because  there  are  many seperated institutes and speleological groups. In both countries working  groups are  under  organisation  for collecting these data, in  USA:  William  B.White, Pennsylvania, USSR: K.A.Gorbunova, Perm, I have close contact with them.

I wrote an article in our journal karst and cave on IGCP 299. We shall  send you for the Newsletter 1991 also two short information of the programmes of  our subgroups. If we shall have already enough data on karst and caves of the world, we shall publish also more article in different journals.

Soewarno Darsoprajitno (Indonesia)

To participate in the IGCP project 299 is very interesting for me.At present the fresh water become a big problem in Indonesia, specially in Java, the island that  inhabited more than 90 million people or more than 500 people  per  square km.

There are two tectonic arcs in Java island i.e., volcanic inner arc and  non volcanic  outer  arc.  The non volcanic inner arc  is  dominantly  underlain  by Miocene limestone. One of the well known area is called Karangbolong (perforated limestone).  Karangbolong is located in Central Java, and has  a  characteristic karst topography.

Karangbolong is a mountain range and surrounded by low land plain and can be visited easily. And so I would like to propose to the government to protect  the unique karst topography that can be developed as a natural fresh water tank. But what  can  I  do, if I can not give a scientific reasons  why  the  Karangbolong karstic limestone should be protected and conserved. The second limestone karst is located in East Java, called Merakurak,  where one of the cement industry in East Java would like to search for portland cement raw  material. I hope both karstic limestone areas in Central and East Java  can be registered as IGCP Project 299 within next five years.

T.Arakawa (Japan)

M.M.Sweeting (UK)

You  will  be pleased to know that I have been appointed the  U.K.  National correspondent by the Royal Society for IGCP 299 project.

The  British  karst workers concerned with the project,  broadly  fall  into three main groups:

1.  A  hydrogeological  group. This group is  working  particularly  on  the problems  of  carbonate aquifers in Central, Southern and Eastern  England.  The carbonate  rocks  involved  include the Lincolnshire  Limestone  (Jurassic), the Oolitic Limestone (Jurassic) and the Chalk (Cretaceous).

The people involved are:

Prof.John Lloyd (Birmingham University)

Prof.John Mather (London University)

Mr.Mike Price (Inst. of Geological Sciences, Wallingford)

Dr.R.A.Downing(Inst. of Geological Sciences, Wallingford)

A Book on the Chalk aquifers of Northern Europe is in progress.

2. A group working on Palaeokarst and Climatic Change. This group is looking at  Speleothem   records,  cave  sediments and tufa  deposits  with  a  view  to determing Quaternary and Holocene climatic change.

The main workers involved are:

Dr.P.L.Smart (Bristol University)

Dr.P.A.Bull (Oxford University)

Prof.Andrew Goudie (Oxford University)

Dr.Heather Viles (Oxford University)

Dr.M.M.Sweeting (Oxford University)

3.  Karst  geologists and geomorphologists working in Northern  England  (in N.W.Yorkshire and the Peak District of Derbyshire). They are concerned with  the geology,  cave genesis, Holocene and Quaternary climatic change in  these  area. They are also interested in the economic aspects of the karsts and the  problems of human use both of the limestones and of the land in the areas.

The main workers are:

Dr.Tony Waltham (Nottingham Polytechnic)

Dr.Trevor Ford (Leicester University) Prof.John Gunn (Manchester Polytechnic)

Dr.John Crowther (St. David's College, Lampeter, Wales)

Each of these groups plans to produce papers that come under the aims of IGCP 299.

Michael Price (UK)

Dr.M.M.Sweeting  explained that  the British  committee  dealing  with  IGCP projects felt that Britain's input to Project 299 should include studies of  our carbonate aquifers, such as the Chalk, in addition to studies of karst. I have a long-standing  research interest in the Chalk. I am sure that you know that  the Chalk is a microporous limestone which, although it does not possess large karst features, nevertheless exhibits many characteristics of karst aquifer behaviour, including rapid flow through fissures enlarged by solution.

I am just completing a paper on a study of potential pollution in the  Chalk arising  from  road drainage. In addition I am leading a project to  assess  the groundwater  storage  capacity  in the Chalk of Britain. This  is  a  matter  of particular concern at present as the Chalk is our most important aquifer and  is suffering  low  water  levels because of limited recharge during  the  last  two winters.

Dr.Sweeting  thought  it appropriate that I shoud register  with  you  under Project  299.  In addition, several of my colleagues in the  Hydrogeology  Group here  at BGS also work from time to time on the Chalk, and so I suggest  that  I act as a contact point for BGS Hydrogeology Group.

Dr.Downing and I, together with G P Jones of University College London,  are working together to edit, for the International Association of  Hydrogeologists, a reference work entitled "The Hydrogeology of the Chalk of North-West  Europe". This  is  intended to bring together contributions from all those  countries  of northwest  Europe in which the Chalk is an important source of water.  We  hope that it will be completed and published in 1992, and parts of it may be relevant to Project 299.

You  may not be aware of the International Chalk Symposium that was held  in Brighton in September 1989. This was a major symposium dealing with all  aspects of  the  Chalk-stratigraphy,  petrography,  mineralogy,  geotechnics,  petroleum geology  and  hydrogeology. The proceedings were published this year  by  Thomas Telford Limited (the publishing division of the Institution of Civil  Engineers) in  one  large volume entitled simply "Chalk". I  chaired  the  hydrogeological session and Dr.Downing and I edited the papers.

W.B.White (USA)

Thank you for inviting me to participate in this project. Bette and I  would be very pleased to take part in this important work.

It  would  be good if the US participants could communicate  and  coordinate their efforts.

Bette and I have edited a book, "Karst Hydrology: Concepts from the  Mammoth Cave  Area",  that contains most of the needed information on  the  southcentral Kentucky karst. At present, we are working on another book on the  Geomorphology and Hydrology of the Appalachian Karst which will describe the karst areas  that lie  between  the Mohawk Valley in New York State south  along  the  Appalachian Mountains into central Alabama. There are several distinctly different kinds  of karst within this 1200 km long area and we would have data on these areas.

In  addition,  we  are beginning a project ourselves in  which  we  hope  to organize the cave explorers of the United States to produce a new karst map  for the entire country.

Let  us know what was decided in Turkey concerning the format of the  report for Project 299 and how the information is to be compiled.

We  are  interested in the International Symposium and Field Seminar  to  be held  in China in July, 1991. Please send additional information as  it  becomes available.

W.Back (USA)

I  have been in Puerto Rico for several days working with Joe Troester  when your letter to him arrived outlining the progress of the IGCP 299. You are doing great  and  should  be most pleased about the cooperation and  success  of  your project.

Joe  and I have prepared an outline for a book on "Hydrogeology of Karst  of the Caribbean" which will be a contribution to IGCP 299, the Karst Commission of IAH, and the Humid Tropics Programme of UNESCO. The book will be  completed  in less than three years, but we are not sure yet about the publisher. It will most likely either be UNESCO or Heise.

V.S.Kovalevsky (USSR)

Our inside allocation of duties within your project will be as follows:

Porf.V.N.Dublyansky  will supervise issues dealing with the  correlation  of general problems of karst formation;

Prof.V.S.Kovalevsky  will  be engaged  in  the  hydrological-hydrogeological aspect;

Prof.I.A.Pechorkin in studying environmental topics.

Andrej Kranjc (Yugoslavia)

Yugoslavia colleagues would like to take part in IGCP 299 with the works  as follows:

Name: Prof.Petar Papic

Project  299  of IGCP, title "Environmental and Ground Water  Protection  in

Lelic Karst, Yugoslavia".

Name: Nadja Zupan

Address: ZRC SAZU
                Institute of Karst Research
               Titov trg 2, 66230 Postojna YU.

Title: Cave Sediments in Skocjanske jame

Main  content: Mineral analyses of mechanical sediments flowstone deposition  in the cave.

Name: Sebela Stanka

Address: ZRC SAZU
                Institute of Karst Research
                Titov trg 2, 66230 Postojna YU.Title: Geological development of karst area in "Skocjanske jame".

Main  content:  Geological  characteristics  of  karst  development;  impact  of sedimentology and tectonics in interpretation of cave and surface development.

Name: Tadej Slabe

Address: ZRC SAZU
                Institute of Karst Research
               Titov trg 2, 66230 Postojna YU.

Title: Rocky features in Skocjanske jame and their meaning for speleogenesis

Main   content:  Morphology  of  cave  walls  as  result  of  past  and   recent speleogenetical processes

Name: Andrej Mihevc

Address: ZRC SAZU
                Institute of Karst Research
               Titov trg 2, 66230 Postojna YU.

Title:  Allogenic influence to speleological and geomorphological development of karst of Skocianska jame, karst of Trnovski gozd

Main  content: Relationship between superfacial karst forms and development  and form  of  Skocjanska jame caves. Karst morphology and development  of  caves  on Trnovski gozd karst region.

Name: Janja Kogovsek

Address: ZRC SAZU
                Institute of Karst Research
               Titov trg 2, 66230 Postojna YU.

Title: Vertical water percolation in Skocjanske jame

Main content: Chemical characteristics of percolated water; impact of surface on the water quality; flowstone deposition in the cave.

Name: Knez Martin

Address: ZRC SAZU
                Institute of Karst Research
               Titov trg 2, 66230 Postojna YU.

Title: Geology of the narrow area of "Skocjanske jame"

Main  content:  lithology,  stratigraphy, sedimentology  and  interpretation  of regional geological development in the territory of "Skocjanske jame".

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