Speleothems & Cave Science

Mission: Use the carbonate and siliciclastic sediments within cave and karst settings to explore environmental and climate change, geomagnetic field behavior, identify the effects of land use, and reveal our anthropological heritage.

Stalagmites, flowstones, and siliciclastic sediments accumulating in caves and karst are natural archives of climate, geomagnetic, and anthropological history. By collecting carefully oriented samples and measuring them at the Institute for Rock Magnetism, we can uncover high-resolution records for a variety of phenomena. We can also use such samples to document the timing and conditions that formed the caves themselves.  

Cave and karst environments occur on every continent and our research group collaborates with cave scientists from around the world. We love working and learning in the field and we share a strong commitment to cave preservation.

Funding for this research has been provided by

Related Publications


Jaqueto, P., Trindade, R.I.F., Terra-Nova, F., Feinberg, J.M., Novello, V.F., Strikis, N., Schrodl, P., Azevedo, V., Strauss, B.E., Cruz, F.W., Cheng, H., and Edwards, R.L., 2022. Stalagmite paleomagnetic record of a quiet mid-to-late Holocene field activity in central South America, Nature Communications, 13(1), 1349, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28972-8

Feinberg, J.M., Hobart K.K..  2021.  Attraction in the Dark: The Magnetism of Speleothems. Elements. 17(2):113-118, https://doi.org/10.2138/gselements.17.2.113

Feinberg J.M., Johnson KR.  2021.  Cave and Speleothem Science: From Local to Planetary Scales. Elements. 17(2):81-86, https://doi.org/10.2138/gselements.17.2.81

Jaqueto, P., Trindade, R.I.F., Feinberg, J.M., Carmo, J., Novello, V.F., Strikis, N.M., Cruz, F.W., Shimizu, M.H., Karmann, I., 2021. Magnetic mineralogy of speleothems from tropical -subtropical sites of South America. Frontiers in Earth Science. 9(634482), https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.634482

Burstyn Y, Shaar R, Keinan J, Ebert Y, Ayalon A, Bar-Matthews M, Feinberg, J.M.  2021.  Holocene wet episodes recorded by magnetic minerals in stalagmites from Soreq Cave, Israel. Geology. https://doi.org/10.1130/G49383.1

Lowe, K.M., Arthure, S., Wallis, L.A., and Feinberg J.M., 2020. Geophysical and archaeological investigations of an early European settlement in Australia: a pilot study on Baker’s Flat, a historic Irish site in South Australia. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. 12(33), 1-20, doi.org/10.1007/s12520-019-01003-2

Feinberg, J.M., Lascu, I., Lima, E.A., Weiss, B.P., Dorale, J.A., Alexander Jr., E.C., Edwards, R.L., 2020. Magnetic detection of paleoflood layers in stalagmites and implications for historical land use changes. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 530(115946),1-6, doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.115946.

Cheng, H., Edwards, R.L., Southon, J., Matsumoto, K., Feinberg, J.M., Sinha, A., Zhou, W., Li, H., Li, X., Xu, Y., Chen, S., Tan, M., Wang, Q., Wang, Y., and Ning, Y. 2018. Atmospheric 14C/12C Changes during the Last Glacial Period from Hulu Cave., Science, 362(6420), 1293-1297, doi: 10.1126/science.aau0747

Trindade, R., Jaqueto, P., Terra-Nova, F., Brandt, D., Hartmann, G.A., Feinberg, J.M., Strauss, B.E., Novello, V.F., Cruz Jr., F.W., Karmann, I., Cheng, H., Edwards, R.L., 2018. Speleothem record of geomagnetic South Atlantic Anomaly recurrence, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(52), 13198-13203, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1809197115

Zhu, Z., Feinberg, J.M., Xie, S., Bourne, M.D., Huang, C., Hu, C., and Cheng, H. 2017. Holocene ENSO-related cyclic storms recorded by magnetic minerals in speleothems of central China. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, doi:10.1073/pnas.1610930114.

Jaqueto P, Trindade RIF, Hartmann GA, Novello VF, Cruz FW, Karmann I, Strauss BE, Feinberg JM.  2016.  Linking speleothem and soil magnetism in the Pau d'Alho cave (central South America). Journal of Geophysical Research - Solid Earth. 121(10), 7024-7039. Doi: 10.1002/2016JB013541.

Halligan, J.E., Waters, M.R., Perrotti, A., Owens, I.J., Feinberg, J.M., Bourne, M.D., Fenerty, B., Winsborough, B., Carlson, D., Fisher D.C., Stafford, T.W., and Dunbar, J.S., 2016. Pre-Clovis Occupation 14,450 years ago at the Page-Ladson Site, Florida and the Peopling of Americas, Science Advances, 2(5), e1600375, doi:10.1126/sciadv.1600375.

Bourne, M.D., Feinberg, J.M., Stafford T.W., Waters MR, Lundelius E, Forman SL, 2016. High-Intensity Geomagnetic Field 'Spike' Observed At Ca. 3000 Cal BP In Texas, USA., Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 442, 80-92. Doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2016.02.051.

Lowe KM, Shulmeister J, Feinberg JM, Manne T, Wallis LA, Welsh K.  2016.  Using soil magnetic properties to determine the onset of Pleistocene human settlement at Gledswood Shelter 1, northern Australia. Geoarchaeology, 31(3), 211-228. Doi: 10.1002/gea.21544.

Feinberg, J.M., Gao, Y., and Alexander, Jr., E.C., eds., 2016. Caves and Karst Across Time. Geological Society of America Special Paper 516, Geological Society of America Publishing, Boulder, Colorado, 300 p. doi: 10.1130/2016.2516.

Lascu, I., Feinberg, J.M., Dorale, J.A., Cheng, H., and Edwards, R.L., 2016. Age of the Laschamps excursion determined by U-Th dating of a speleothem geomagnetic record from North America. Geology, 44(2), 139-142, doi: 10.1130/G37490.1

Frahm, E., Feinberg, J.M., Schmidt-Magee, B.A., Wilkinson, K.N., Gasparyan, B., Yeritsyan, B., Adler, D.S.  2016.  Middle Palaeolithic Lithic Procurement Behaviors at Lusakert Cave 1, Hrazdan Valley, Armenia. Journal of Human Evolution. 91:73-92. Doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.10.008.

Bourne, M.D., Feinberg, J.M., Strauss, B.E., Hardt, B., Cheng, H., Rowe, H.D., Springer, G., and Edwards, R.L., 2015. Long-term changes in precipitation recorded by magnetic minerals in speleothems. Geology, 43(7), 595-598. Doi: 10.1130/G36695.1.

Strehlau, J.H., Hegner, L.A., Strauss, B.E., Feinberg, J.M., and Penn, R.L., 2014. Simple and Efficient Separation of Magnetic Minerals from Speleothems: Quantitative Efficiency, Compositional Analysis, and Rock Magnetic Characterization, Journal of Sedimentary Research, 84, 1096-1106. Doi: 10.2110/jsr.2014.89.

Strauss, B.E., Strehleu, J.H., Lascu, I., Dorale, J.A., Penn, R.L., and Feinberg, J.M., 2013. The origin of magnetic remanence in stalagmites: Observations from electron microscopy and rock magnetism. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 14(12), 5006-5025. Doi: 10.1002/2013GC004950.

Lascu, I., and Feinberg, J.M., 2011. Speleothem Magnetism. Quaternary Science Reviews, doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2011.08.004.