Research Journals

I Spy A Zebra (Calcite): July 8-13

The University of Northern Iowa astrobiology team and Iowa Grotto members spent 18.5 hours underground at Wind Cave National Park over the span of 4 days in July. Led by Dr. Joshua Sebree with help from Marc Ohms, the group’s main objectives were to revisit the tour route science stations, collect microbiology and seasonal water samples, and perform science work in deeper areas of the cave to expand a list of planetary analog sites.

Monday, July 10: The team revisited the wild cave tour route to determine if a leak was still present from 2 weeks previous. On the walk down they found dog poop that had a thin layer of white mold. Dr. Sebree documented the scat, then made a note to clean it up on the way up. The group crawled for five minutes to get to a dome that was now dripping water where a waterfall had previously been. Water samples were collected to inspect for chlorine. While at the water sight, UV lights highlighted a red fluorescent film on the other side of the site. Under a white light, the film blended in with the neighboring moonmilk. Spectra was collected with longwave-UV light and a small scraping of the 1 mm red biofilm was taken. The team then went to the Assembly Room to compare the newly found biofilm to the red film analyzed the day prior. The team collected spectra of orange spray paint, red film, and the moonmilk. While documenting the biofilm, Dr. Sebree spotted a zebra calcite directly above the spray paint. Hopeful to find more zebras, the team split up and looked for clues. More biofilm and zebra calcite remnants were documented. On the way to the surface dog waste was cleaned up and disposed of on the surface. 

That afternoon, the group met up with Marc Ohms to visit Guide’s Discovery. Just off of the staircase, the team took a short crawl to their first “I (hope to) spy a zebra calcite” spot. Vugs surrounded a dry waterfall dome. Longwave-UV light illuminated a hot red and purple stripe zebra calcite. The formation was documented with longwave-UV photography and analyzed with a spectrometer. A chirt slide into a short crawl took the team to Guide’s Discovery. The group broke up into different sections of the room filled with breakdown. After looking for a few minutes, a new zebra was located and added to the catalog. Research student Jacque Heggen tucked into a notch in the breakdown to collect spectra of the purple and yellow zebra calcite. Possible leads downside passages were also looked at with little luck. The group then returned to the staircase. 

Tuesday, July 11: Equipped with a fishing line and lure weights, the team set off to Christmas Tree Park. At Buffalo Gap, the group reset the water cubie that had fallen over spilling a part of the container. At Yukon Trail, Zach Harper found a whale tail shaped zebra calcite between two layers of chirt. A calcite stripe lined the top of the ceiling. The zebra was documented with longwave-UV photography then the team continued to Christmas Tree Park. The aragonite Christmas trees are famous for their hollow centers, but the depth of the hole has never been measured. A 5-inch Christmas tree that was half broken was the first target. Using a neon yellow string, Dr. Sebree carefully lowered the fishing line down the nickel-sized opening of the Christmas tree. Down and down the line went until finally the weight could go no lower. Pulling out the string, the 5-inch Christmas tree had a 6 foot hole hidden underneath the delicate aragonite. Looking at the pea-sized weight was covered in chirt. A second 4-inch Christmas tree’s hollow center measured 4 feet deep. 

At the turnoff, a fallen zebra calcite was spotted on a large piece of breakdown. The team made a note of the zebra and continued to ensure they could hit the final destination. Climbing past, with one hand wrapped around a yellow tether and the other gripping the wall, the team rope climbed up a wall next to a flowstone to get to Coke Room. From the natural entrance, it took 1.5 hours to get to the Coke Room. The team stopped for a short snack break and photo op then continued on their way into a series of crawls. Unskinny Bop offered a new space to practice yoga moves. The upward chimney started with an 8-inch squeeze where the team had to enter on their sides then pull through to an immediate 90-degree climb. Wedging forearms on ledges, the team got to the top of the chimney one at a time. The opening at the top was another perpendicular squeeze. Climbing in between the transitional layers of the cave, many more zebra calcites were found on the route. After a slight crawl, the science team collected water samples at a cistern. Moving forward, the walls were covered with zebra calcite remnants. Crawling on hands and knees the group made it to the pinch point. After teeter-tottering through the squeeze, the team made their final crawl to finally made it to Archimedes Pool.  Zebra calcite surrounded the opening around Archimedes Pool. The science team crawled around the middle pit to get to the outskirts of Archimedes pool.  A thin layer of chirt dust covered the lower part of the bowl and edges. When UV light was shone on the chirt surface, the underlying zebra bowl became visible. Up close, the zebra calcite around the pool shone purple and blue. The pool had no rhine around the edges but a zebra calcite just above the lake. Microbiology samples were collected in and around the pool’s surface. The pool was documented with longwave-UV light photography. Spectra were collected with the spectrometer for the blue and dull purple zebra calcite.

The team then traveled back through the climbs and crawls to get back to the surface. The group surprised surface watch spending 6 hours and 20 minutes underground for the allotted 8.5 hour trip. With the discovery of the zebra calcite bowl at Archimedes Pool and the consistent pace of the team, the highly anticipated expedition to Archimedes was a big success.

Quest to Find More Calcite Speleothems: June 19-30

The Astrobiology Team spent 12 days working on Cave science at Wind Cave National Park on a follow-up mission to the May trip. With help from Mark Ohms, Dr. Sebree and a team of undergrads performed science in new parts of the cave. The primary goals of the trip were to: 1. Collect previously deployed Petri dishes, 2. Match Zebra Calcites with depth, 3. Collect Microbiology samples, 4. Perform the first in-depth analysis of unique calcite features in the north-west of the cave, and 5. Begin a human cognition study of the cavers. Additionally, two media students documented the trip for a mini docu-series.

After the pre-caving cognitive tests, the group walked up through grass to the Snake Pit entrance, the highest point in Wind Cave. Down the pit, the path was tight but clear. The vertical drop transitioned into a flat 9-inch squeeze. Inch-worming along the path, the team worked their way through the 500 feet of pinches and slides for 1.5 hours. Eventually, the small squeeze opened up into a large breakdown room. The team rope climbed down walls and over breakdown to get to the first science stop. Covered with moon-milk and 2-foot-tall Christmas trees, Santa’s Frosted Forest lived up to its name. The science stop lasted less than 5 minutes to document the formations within the room in white light and shortwave- and longwave-UV. Passing from Santa’s Frosted Forest, a smaller room (about 4 ft wide) was circumscribed with Zebra Calcites. With their sights on another benchmark, the team pushed forward.

The primary science target was located adjacent to the Chimera Room. The hollow calcite speleothem looked similar to a Christmas tree but fluoresced green under shortwave UV light. After closer inspection, it was found that the hole within the speleothem extended through the rock it and was visible under the ledge the formation was sitting on. Shining a white light through the hollow center resulted with the candlestick lighting up in a rainbow effect. This discovery left the group asking more questions than they started with. The team needed to keep moving to keep on pace, so the additional analysis was put on hold for a future trip with a different science package.

The next room, Chimera Room, opened into a huge break down section which extended for several hundred feet. The team traversed over steep climbs to get to the bottom of a wall. New Zebra Calcites were identified to be added to the Wind Cave inventory.

Biochemistry Student Abbie Bangs retrieved additional microbiology plates deployed during the May trip. Stemming over the crevasse, Bangs collected the samples and packed the kit in her bag. The team made their way picking up additional plates in a crossroads junction and near a flowstone close to South Club Room. The team glided through familiar territory back to the elevator. After 7 hours underground, they walked to the elevator to discover it was down for repairs. Now the hardest part of the trip, 200+ stairs to the surface via the natural entrance. With 7.5 hours underground, the Snake Pit Entrance to Natural Entrance expedition was a success. Figure 6: Snake Pit team post-7.5 hours in the cave.

Thursday, June 22: Day 3 was a relaxed start for the team. The group took a 3rd set of pre-caving brain scans and went underground to investigate a possible groundwater pipe leak infiltrating the cave. Along the wild cave tour route, a waterfall had flooded the area and smelled faintly of chlorine. Water and microbiology samples were collected from the waterfall and surrounding pool. The group then revisited the fluorescent vug found during the May trip to capture the red phosphorescence using slow-motion filming.

Saturday, June 24: Day 5 led the group back to Club Room. Heggen led the group to the North Club Room as part of emergency preparation training. Just past the midpoint of Club Room, the team relocated a Zebra Calcite along the west wall of the room and discovered a mirror image Zebra Calcite on the east wall. At the south end of the Club Room, the science team used longwave UV light to carefully study the flowstone on the ground and collect UV spectra of different thicknesses of the formation. The flowstone had sections that shone blue and green. The team then returned to the Zebra Calcites in the middle of the hall. The mirrored Zebra Calcites (one on each side of the room) spanned over 10 feet across the walls Under UV, the Zebra shone hot pink. The team documented and recorded the UV spectra of the Zebra Calcites. On the way back, spectra were collected for a dark yellow flowstone near Roadblock.

Monday, June 26: The team practiced survey skills with a disto in the VIP Center with a goal of measuring the length of the Zebra Calcites at Club Room the following day and tying the find into the Wind Cave survey. In the cave that afternoon, the team visited the Zebra Calcite dome-Serengeti. Crawling past a water drip that smelled faintly of chlorine, the team collected water samples along the Wild Tour Route. The Zebra Calcite dome has an active flowstone and a ceiling filled with Zebra striations. The dome stretches back 15 feet and fluoresced purple and pink. The part of the dome the was covered with flowstone had muted the vibrant colors of the outer Zebra and fluoresced blue. Team collected spectra of the bands with a spectrometer. Lining up the disto on a survey marker, the team measured the Zebra ceiling. One side passage ceiling was 16 ft while a side passage off the entrance was 13 feet.

Tuesday, June 27: Heggen continued to learn to lead the group to Club Room. Returning to the Zebra Calcite bands, the team got to the science stop with plenty of time to perform all their science. The team first documented the Zebra with additional UV pictures. The science team used an upright rock and spotted the distance from the survey markers. The team measured both mirrored Zebras with the disto to eventually be added to the map of the room. On the way back to the surface, the team set up a water and food cache for the next day’s deep trip.

As the 6-person team inch-wormed through the cave (bunching up and stretching out) on the steep climbs, the slower pace down both allowed for science along the way, but limited the depth of the initial foray into this region of the cave. At Coke Room, it was determined that there wouldn’t be enough time to perform all the science that the group wanted to accomplish. After an early lunch, a pristine flowstone, just past Coke Room, was determined to be the turnaround point. The science team collected spectra on this feature before beginning the series of climbs home. On the return, the group spotted a new Zebra Calcite along the wall of a climb was documented. The Zebra shone bright pink with blue stripes, adding a new fluorescent color (blue) to the Zebra Calcite list.

Thursday, June 29: The trip reflected on their 10 days underground with interviews for the media team. In total, the science team spent roughly 34 hours underground.

Friday, June 30: The Astrobiology team broke camp and returned to Iowa for a well-earned 4-day holiday weekend before their next trip.

Zebra Calcite Hunting in Wind Cave: May 21-27

At the end of May, the Astrobiology Underground team from the University of Northern Iowa spent 5 days performing cave science at Wind Cave National Park. Dr. Joshua Sebree and a team of four undergrads worked on multiple projects underground with Marc Ohms. Goals for science exploration included testing hypotheses of Zebra Calcite locations, inventorying previously undocumented Zebra Calcites, and educating new research students on procedures. In addition, two digital media students were tasked with documenting the work for a series of mini-documentaries.

Monday, May 22: The goals for the first day were to teach new summer research students technical skills for gathering information with a spectrometer, break in new gear, and prepare for the long cave expedition later that week. The group started the day traveling past Silent Lake to Spillway. At Spillway, Dr. Sebree demonstrated how to use the portable spectrometer on a Zebra Calcite. Analyzing the bright purples and whites of the Zebra Calcite, research students gathered data and refined their skills. After collecting data, the group ventured to Omnibus Hall to familiarize themselves with the route for future explorations.

That afternoon, the team met up with Marc Ohms to analyze the Zebra Calcites in the Chamber of Lost Soles. There was a calcite vug that fluoresced bright purple and dim white under longwave-UV light. Under closer inspection, part of the vug shone bright white. After examining the vug with the spectrometer, it was inferred that the brighter material was an organic-rich calcite material from a secondary formation process.

Tuesday, May 23: The team traveled past Omnibus Hall to Buffalo Gap. At Buffalo Gap, sterile water collection cubes were placed underneath a flowstone to collect drip water. The team squeezed through Hobson’s Choice behind Buffalo Gap and passed by Chinese Mushroom to enter the middle of the Club Room. The trip to Club Room took 2 hours with stops to allow the student media team to practice filming both science and caving. After collecting interviews for the media team, research students prepared to place Petri dishes. In the northern part of the Club Room, a bright white chimney suggested airflow. Using sterile gloves and a face mask, the Petri dishes were placed underneath the chimney where they would be collected during a future trip in June. The group then traveled back to the surface.

Wednesday, May 24: Day 3 was filled with Zebra Calcite hunting. The group stopped in rooms periodically to look for formations in between chert and boxwork layers. A multicolored Zebra Calcite was found not far from the beginning of the Natural Entrance tour. The Zebra Calcites were photographed using longwave-UV photography. Under closer inspection, the Zebra Calcite fluoresced bright white and purple (like others found previously) and also a dull yellow and bright red. The intensity of the Zebra calcites were analyzed with the spectrometer. Zebra Calcites were also found and documented in Room Daculum and at several transitional points in the area.

The afternoon was spent longwave-UV photographing a large Zebra Calcite found in a chamber above the Cathedral (near the end of the Natural Entrance Tour Route). With the naked eye, the chert above and below the zebra appears to be the same color. Under UV light, the upper and lower layers of the chert are two different shades (white and yellow).

Trekking onward the team found other large undocumented Zebra Calcites in Half Mile Hall and other locations. The team maneuvered through tight crawls and steep climbs to finally arrive at the cistern to fill up with water, both to drink and to study. During the return, the new Zebra Calcites on the route were photographed with longwave-UV and documented. A final set of petri dishes was deployed along the way back in an area that collects water moisture on the ceiling.  All told, the team spent 6 hours underground, 4.5 hours on the move, 1.5 hours of science on film.

Spectroscopy Studies at Wind Cave: March 11-17

During Spring Break, the Astrobiology Underground group from the University of Northern Iowa spent 5 days working on several projects at Wind Cave National Park. Dr. Joshua Sebree and his team of undergrads worked with Marc Ohms at the park on several science missions: 1) Optimizing a shortwave-UV photography setup for taking images of cavern rooms to show mineral heterogeneity, 2) Updating and validating locations of Zebra Calcite in the Wind Cave inventory, 3) Collection of microbial samples on a gradient from the Natural Entrance to Calcite Lake.