HYPOGEAN MICROCLIMATOLOGY AND HYDROLOGY OF THE 800-900 m ASL LEVEL IN THE MONTE CORCHIA CAVE (TUSCANY, ITALY): PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PALEOCLIMATOLOGICAL STUDIES

Abstract

The Monte Corchia Cave is one of the most promising sites for studying the paleoclimate of the Mediterranean basin, but its hydrology and hydrogeochemistry are still poorly known. In this paper, we report some meteoclimatic and hydrochemical data for different parts of the cave. Conductivity and water level data from La Gronda channel show that this system reacts rapidly to external meteoric events, indicating the presence of a conductive epikarst. Data on two different drips indicate that the physicochemical parameters, suchas conductivity, pH, δ13CDIC and drip rate depend on the local structural setting and water pathlength. The data presented show that Galleria delle Stalattiti (the focus..