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Hypogene Karst Regions and Caves of the World pp 225–239Cite as

Hypogene Speleogenesis in Greece

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Part of the book series: Cave and Karst Systems of the World ((CAKASYWO))

Abstract

Many hypogene caves have been recognized in several locations in Greece in the last decade. Their identification is mostly based on morphological criteria and in some cases on geochemical evidence, including mineral and water chemistry. Several patterns of cave development have been recorded along with various small-scale morphological features. In this chapter, hypogene caves are presented per region in terms of different geotectonic units. These caves cover the whole Greek mainland and some islands of the Aegean archipelago. Their altitudinal distribution ranges from the sea level up to about 2000 m elevation. Nowadays, most caves are uplifted relicts of hydrothermal systems. The dissolution was caused mainly due to CO2-rich water, and in a few cases speleogenesis was driven by H2S. Speleogenesis in most cases took place below the water table in a deep phreatic setting, by slowly convecting waters. However, there are water-table caves, commonly related to H2S speleogenesis. It is demonstrated that hypogene speleogenesis in Greece is strongly related to the hydrothermal regime. Cave morphology, stratigraphy, hydrogeology, volcanism, tectonics, mineralogy and geochemistry are briefly discussed with respect to the structure of the Hellenic alpine orogene and its evolution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Geology and Palaeontology, Department of Geology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Georgios Lazaridis

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  1. Georgios Lazaridis
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Correspondence to Georgios Lazaridis .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hydrogeological Problems, Institute of Geological Sciences, Kiev, Ukraine

    Alexander Klimchouk

  2. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, State University of New York, Oneonta, New York, USA

    Arthur N. Palmer

  3. Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, Universita di Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Jo De Waele

  4. Instituto do Carste, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Augusto S. Auler

  5. University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France

    Philippe Audra

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Lazaridis, G. (2017). Hypogene Speleogenesis in Greece. In: Klimchouk, A., N. Palmer, A., De Waele, J., S. Auler, A., Audra, P. (eds) Hypogene Karst Regions and Caves of the World. Cave and Karst Systems of the World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53348-3_14

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