Evidence of an early phreatic and confined karst phase in minervois, South of France

Abstract

The Minervois karst, South of France, developed in the Eocene carbonate formation, constitutes a regional karst system divided in several subsystems. The Lower Karst Subsystem developing at the base of the series is formed by small to medium size conduits with a circular cross section, organized in mazes and cut off by the canyons. It constitutes the earliest cave development, earlier than the canyons cutting the plateaus. Confined conditions account for the shape and organization of the conduits, which development precedes the down-bending separating Minervois from the Carcassonne basin.