D. Genty et al., COMPARISON OF ANNUAL LUMINESCENT AND VISIBLE LAMINAE IN STALAGMITES, Comptes rendus de l'Academie des sciences. Serie II. Sciences de la terre et des planetes, 325(3), 1997, pp. 193-200
Polished sections of stalagmites from France and Belgium were examined
using UV excitation and natural light in order to examine their annua
l growth laminae. The most prominent luminescence occurs in the dark c
ompact laminae; this would signify that both types form at the end of
Autumn or the beginning of Winter when soil organic matter is flushed
into the cave. Under UV excitation, and at a weaker magnification, whi
te porous calcite fabric is found to be much more luminescent than the
dark compact one. These results could be due either to optical effect
s associated with porosity or to the higher luminescence of dark compa
ct laminae.