Which outcome results when groundwater carbonate saturation decreases in caves?

💡 Explanation

Decreased carbonate saturation means the water can dissolve more carbonate minerals; thus, speleothems undergo dissolution driven by increased solubility. This is because dissolution accelerates under unsaturated conditions; therefore option A is correct, rather than mineral deposition which would require increased saturation.

• Which outcome occurs when irrigation in arid climates mobilizes soluble salts?
• Which process consistently rebuilds sand eroded around coastal stacks?
• Which outcome results when thawing permafrost collapses roads?
• Which risk increases when subsurface limestone dissolution forms covered sinkholes under urban infrastructure?
• Which mechanism causes increased precipitation in the southwestern United States during an El Niño event?
• Which outcome results when insolation decreases in coastal dune ecosystems?