Mineralogical Studies and Uranium-Series Dating of Speleothems from Scarisoara Glacier Cave (Bihor Mountains, Romania)

Recent mineralogical investigations carried out in Scarisoara Glacier Cave pointed out the presence of speleothems made up of monohydrocalcite and hydromagnesite. Although both minerals were documented earlier from other Romanian caves this is for the first time when a speleothem is described as being entirely composed of monohydrocalcite. Crocoite, a rare mineral was also identified; however, this is not a real cave mineral being transported into the cave by the percolating waters. U-Th dating of some speleothems from Scarisoara Glacier Cave enabled us to draw some considerations concerning the palaeoclimate changes and the age of the cave