Chemical kinetics, speleothem growth and climate

The morphology and stratigraphy of speleothems are controlled by parameters that depend on climate. These are the water supply rates feeding the spele othem, e.g. a stalagmite, the growth rates dependent on the chemical kineti cs of calcite precipitation and the supersaturation of the solution from wh ich calcite is precipitated. To elucidate the basic principles of speleothe m growth, a physical-chemical model of calcite precipitation is used to est imate growth rates under various geologically relevant conditions. Furtherm ore, we present a model that allows the computation of the growth history o f stalagmites, i.e. their morphology and stratigraphy under varying climati c conditions. This enables us to see how climatic signals are inscribed int o stalagmites. Owing to the counter-balancing effects of some parameters, i t is not possible to read climatic conditions backwards from the morphology and stratigraphy of a speleothem in a simple way, but a basic understandin g of the growth of speleothems can be a helpful supporting tool in the inte rpretation of palaeoclimatic records.