21 US-Mexico Exchange on Cave and Karst Science and Conservation (Posters)

This poster session welcomes poster submissions in fields related with cave and karst science and management in Mexico, with a special interest in geoheritage, inter- and multidisciplinary approaches and community outreach projects.

Thursday, 23 April 2026
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
LMH, 5th Floor Chapel

Speleogenetic studies of Kaua Cave, an exceptional hypogenic cave in Yucatán, Mexico

Paper number: 21-1
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:15 AM – 8:30 AM

Authors

Abstract

Speleogenetic research in Mexico remains limited, particularly with respect to hypogenic cave systems. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of Kaua Cave, located in the Yucatán Peninsula and recognized as the longest documented cave in the state of Yucatán. The system comprises two distinct levels: an upper vadose passage and a recently explored phreatic section. Kaua Cave exhibits a complex maze morphology, an absence of speleothem development, and a suite of diagnostic hypogenic features, including bubble trails, cupolas, and feeder conduits.

 

Cave sediments consist predominantly of structureless silts lacking visible stratification or sedimentary fabrics, consistent with slack-water facies. Mineralogical characterization reveals that these sediments are composed chiefly of calcite, clay minerals, and multiple phosphate phases—hydroxyapatite, wopmayite, monetite, and brushite. The identification of wopmayite represents the first documented occurrence of this mineral in a cave environment.

Collectively, the morphological, sedimentological, and mineralogical evidence indicates that Kaua Cave formed through hypogenic processes, with characteristics closely aligned with flank-margin speleogenesis. The cave’s development likely occurred during the Miocene, a period when marine deposits of the Carrillo Puerto Formation partially overlapped the underlying Chichén Itzá Formation.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 3

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026CD-410889

© Copyright 2026 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.