Insulation patch in JB
Found a small layer of insulation in JB, much smaller than the insulation in Ginnie, maybe 3x6 ft and thinner, just a few inches, if that. I think it is new as I have been through that particular area several times in the past and I don't remember seeing it (or anywhere else in JB for that matter). I thought that was very cool. Anybody has any idea what leads to the formation of the insulation layer?
I have no idea what you are talking about but it sounds fascinating.
I remember seeing some in JB years ago. It was off Deloach's Delight / Source Neavu. Maunds has more of it than any cave I have ever seen.
They are called biofilms, and Jason Gulley has theorized they may be sulphur seep. They are fairly common and Ginnie's Insulation tunnel is only one location, plus they take on different appearances. They are located in low flow areas normally, and at one time the one in the Insulation tunnel used to be very thick,but traffic has had an impact on it.Originally Posted by LMN
"Not all change is improvement...but all improvement is change" Donald Berwick
Does someone have a picture of this?
Is that in JB? What I saw was a much smaller patch.
That's the area. Maybe I didn't see it previously as it's off the line and I'm too cheap to buy a big boys light
No, that photo was taken at Maunds as it has thick mats of it. I've seen small patches in various areas of JB and other caves before. The small ones might just have a few penny sized balls of it. As Kelly said it is found in low flow areas, probably because it is easily dispersed if there is current. I suspected it was forming in areas that meet the above criteria and maybe had some surface water being drained into that area.
A very simplified answer per my wife who is finishing her masters in a related field studying caves and aquifers is that the biofilm is created by bacteria (and they now believe a fungus can be involved as well) that proliferate due to the ability to metabolize nutrients that are introduced into their environment. As Kelly stated that Jason Gulley has said that things such as sulfur and other compounds we wouldn't consider to be nutrients, are nutrients to these colonies. The static water in the areas where they proliferate are a major factor since they're delicate, but also the water chemistry locally is also not constantly affected by flow which can lead to the right nutrients building to levels needed for growth in that particular area.
There is way more both known and not 100% proven that my wife went into, but it was all got very boring. So the simplified explanation above is the easiest to digest. Just don't take it as a complete answer, as it's only the tip of the iceberg.
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