Why bother with speleothems?
I would like to argue that, for purposes of cave conservation, that any deposit in a cave, be it clastic, speleothem or bedrock formation be afforded the protection of a heritage site. Unlike the earth’s surface, caves are not subject to the same weathering processes so what is found inside them often represents a different “snapshot” of the earth’s history than would otherwise be available from the surface. Additionally there are a number of interesting microorganisms responsible for the development and coloration of some speleothems. Surely they are also worthy of protection. Before we can successfully colonise other planets, we need to be able to appreciate the microflora and mineral structures which develop on (in?) our own planet. Hopefully this site may help to convince you that this is the case.
