DE-CODIFYING THE QUATERNARY PALEO(EPI)KARST SYSTEM IN QUINTANA ROO, MEXICO BY USING THE PALEOPEDOLOGICAL AND SEDIMENTOLOGICAL RECORD

The Peninsula de Yucatan is a carbonate platform constituted by Cretaceous to Quaternary limestones. It hosts a very large karstic system with large dissolution conduits and the world’s longest underwater cave system. The paleokarst has been defined as an ancient karst, buried by younger sediments or sedimentary rocks. Under both, the modern and the paleokarst, a complex soil system has been developed. From the field survey, we have recognized three paleosols levels which are associated to the development of three paleo(epi)karst events. They are separated by limestones formed on coastal environments and by calcrete crusts. Samples from each paleosol level, from the present day soils as well as from limestones have been collected for detail analysis in order to identify the differences or similarities with the modern landscape conditions. Preliminary results allow to establish the association of each cycle of development of karst, paleosol – calcrete formation and marine sedimentation with the Quaternary interglacial cycles. However, interpretation is complicate as the paleokarst is nowadays interplaying connections with the modern soil cover.