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III. REPORTS FROM NATIONAL WORKING GROUPS
KARST AND CAVES OF ARGENTINA
Gabriel Redonte (Argentina)
The continental area of Argentina is 2,776,889 km2 , but the
karstic area occupies only 63km2. The most important carbonate outcrops are Las
Brujas , Province Mendoza (50km2) and Cuchillo Cura , Province Neuquen (3km2).The
most important contiguous gypsum karst area of Argentina: Yesera del Tromen (85km2,
with many caves) , Sierra de Reyes and Sierra Cara Cura(200km2) , Salitral de
la Viuda (98km2). There are about 150 caves of different types surveyed by
Argentinia speleologists , their total length 10km. The longest and deepest caves of
Argentina are listed above in the Hungarian text. The locations of the most important
karst areas and caves are seen on the enclosed map.
BOSNEK KARST , BULGARIA
Y.Y.Shopov (Bulgaria)
Bosnek karst region , Bulgaria is a typical temperate karst in
limestone rocks. There are no traces of hydrothermal activity in the region. Calcite ,
aragonite , huntite , hydromagnetite , magnesite , dolomite , saponite and gypsum are
determined as cave minerals in caves of this region. You will receive more information
about this region later this year.
REPORT FROM CUBA NATIONAL WORKING GROUP
Javier E.Rodriguez Rubio (Cuba)
With reference to the progress of the Regional Working Group for central America, South
America and the Caribbean , as well as the Cuban national Working Group , somewhat has
been done despite bureaucratic hindrances , such as difficulties for documentary
duplication ,I sent ,however,communication to more than 30 colleagues and related
institutions in the area.
Our Cuban National Working Group is just a dream came true , with the first contacts
already done and defined the areas to proposed. I think I could start to talk about
results at the end of the summer.
The institute of geography of the Science Academy of Cuba , the Cuban Institute of water
Resources , and the Polytechnical university of Madrid , Spain , have agreed to organize
an international workshop in order to systematize and to compare karstic basins
methodologies and researching results of different geographical areas.
The workshop is mainly aimed to joint specialists that pursue studies in karst
experimental basins and to gather data series from several years , with the purpose of
evaluating outcomes , to confront methodologies, to publish the most relevant results and
to draw up forthcoming research.
The event , lasting a week , will be held between the second half February and the first
half March 1992.
It will consist of general session for paper presentation , the future research outline
and field trips to Pan de Guajaibon and Zapata experimental basins.
ACTIVITY OF THE HUNGARIAN WORKING GROUP
Denes Balazs (Hungary)
Some days ago we had a meeting on the Hungarian participation in the
programme of IGCP 299.
I reported our work in the 299 programme. We have also sent a report to UNESCO , Paris.
The Hungarian Working Group for IGCP 299 was organized at the end of 1990 . The group has
two individual teams with quite different programmes confirmed by Prof.Yuan Daoxian ,
leader of the International Working Group for IGCP 299. The co-ordinate leader of the two
teams: D.Balazs , geographer ( Erd , Sard utca 45. H 2030)
First Team: Hydrothermal Karst Correlation Programme
Team Leader: K.Takacs-Bolner , geologist (Budapest , Attila u.111. H-1012)
Number of Participants: 3
Activity of the team in 1991:
A comprehensive four-year programme—scheduling the necessary geological and
speleological investigations on field , the required documentation work,laborato- ry
analyses and literary researches--has been prepared . Although the most detailed
researches are directed to the caves of Buda Mountains , the correlation should take
account all available data of caves and karst areas of thermal water origin not only in
Hungary but all over the world . The system of PC data processing is just being prepared.
Field work was carried out in caves of Buda Mountains , Gerecse Mountains and Tapolca
Basin , Hungary and in Zbrasov Cave containing a special type of thermal water
precipitations , Czecho-Slovakia. Similar caves were studied at Lake Baikal by the
invitation of East Siberian Institute of Geol. Ministry of Soviet Union.
The elaboration of literature on hydrothermal cave minerals has been started , the types
of carbonate precipitations in Buda Mountains were described , classified and documented
on photos. A similar elaboration is in progress for the typical phreatic corrosional
forms, too. In lack of financial background no special laboratory analyses were available
yet.
Articles were published in thermal water caves of Massif Tuya-Muyun ,Kirghizia , Soviet
Union ; in recent thermal water precipitations of Recsk copper mine and on carbonate cave
precipitations of Buda Mountains in periodicals of hungarian Speleo-logical Society. One
representative of the group took part in IGCP 299 International Symposium , Guilin , China
discussing the characteristics and problems of hydrother -mal karsts in Hungary.
Second Team: Karst Documentation Programme
Team Leader: D.Balazs, geographer (Erd , Sard utca 45 , H-2030)
Number of Participants: 4
Activity of the team in 1991:
The main project of team is to create a world-wide database of karsts. For this purpose
the team prepared a questionary of the most important data of karst areas and caves , and
was sent to more than 80 countries and karst researchers. Many valuable informations are
arrived , but still some request are unanswered. More thou-sands of data on karst areas
and caves were collected also from the international literature too.
A project of karst Atlas of the World was prepared and sent to many outstanding experts in
different countries for discussion. The publishing of the atlas is still uncertain because
of lack of the necessary financial support. All members of the team are working on
voluntary base , only the expences of postage are paid by the Hunga-rian Speleological
Society. The preparation of karst atlas requires at least 20,000 USD , but the working
group has no one cent. Without financial help of UNESCO or/ and other sponsors the
publishing of atlas is hopeless.
Publications of Hungarian Working Group for IGCP 299
K.Takacs-Bolner , S.Kraus ,1989 , The results of research into caves of thermal water
origin , Karst and Cave , Special Issue , pp.31--38.
S.Kraus , 1990 , carbonate deposition in the thermal-water caves of Buda Mountain , Karszt
es Barlang , II.91--96.(Hungarian , English summary)
K.Takacs-Bolner , S.Kraus , 1990 , Tuya-Muyun '89 Expedition , Karszt es Barlang ,
I.pp.44--45.(in English)
Nador , 1991 , activity of the HWG for IGCP 299 , Report on the international Project
Meeting , Guilin , China.
P.U.Fugedi , A.Nador , L.Sasdi: Scale precipitation at the lower level of the Recsk ore
mine , Karszt es Barlang , I.pp.13--18.(Hungarian , English summary)
D.Balazs , 1990 , Karren forms--Karren complexes , Karszt es Barlang , (Hungarian
, English summary)
D.Balazs , 1990 , Karst inventary of the world is in progress , Karszt es Barlang , II.
(in Hungarian and English)
D.Balazs , 1991 , Karst inventary of the world , Project 299 Newsletter , Guilin , China ,
pp.99-102.
MEXICO KARST
J.G.Palacios-Vargas (Mexico)
The best karstic areas known in Mexico are: Sierra de Guatemala in
Tamaulipas , Sierra de E1 Abra in San Luis Potosi and Tamaulipas , some parts of Queretaro
, Puebla , Jalisco , Chiapas , Querrero and Oaxaca , and one of the most important regions
is the Yucatan Peninsula. Recent studies have been done in Colima and Jalisco where there
are other karstic caves. Some basaltic caves are known from Morelos and Puebla States. The
total surface area of Mexico is 1,958,201km2 and about 20% of this surface is
karstic (392,000km2) contains different types of karst and many caves. More
than 1200 caves have been recorded and some speleologist think that there may be more than
6000 in the country. Here there are included three lists of the longest , deepest caves of
Mexico , and the deepest pits.
Karst areas of Mexico
1. high mountain and high plateau karst (orogen karst);
2. platform karst (epeirogenetic karst)
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