Serban M. Sarbu and Cristian Lascu-Condensation Corrosion in Movile Cave, Romania. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 59(3): 99-102. CONDENSATION CORROSION

Condensation corrosion is the dissolution of carbonate by acidic vapors condensing above the water table. This process is rarely noted and receives little attention in the mainstream cave literature. The oolitic limestone walls in Movile Cave’s upper dry passages are severely altered by a selective corrosion mechanism. Temperature differences between the water in the lower passages and the walls in the upper passages and high concentrations of CO2 in the cave atmosphere create favorable conditions for con-densation corrosion to take place. Carbon and oxygen stable isotope data support the hypothesis that condensation corrosion is the major mechanism currently affecting the morphology of Movile Cave’s upper dry level. Condensation corrosion is the dissolution of carbonate by acidic vapors condensing above the water table (Ford & Williams, 1989). This carbonate dissolution process is rarely noted and receives little attention in the mainstream cave liter-ature (Jameson, 1991). The effects of condensation corrosion were reported from several non-thermal caves (Jameson, 1991; 1995) as well as from many hydrothermal caves which exhib-it specific dissolution patterns (Bakalowicz et al., 1987; Cign