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Articles 1 - 11 of 11
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Hypogene Speleogenesis In The Grand Canyon; Observational, Mineralogical, And Geochemical Investigations From The Bopper Cave System, Sierra Heimel
Hypogene Speleogenesis In The Grand Canyon; Observational, Mineralogical, And Geochemical Investigations From The Bopper Cave System, Sierra Heimel
Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences
One of the most prominent features of the Grand Canyon is the iron-stained Redwall Limestone, which has been documented to contain extensive cave systems with significant storage potential in the karstic Redwall-Muav (R-M) aquifer. The hydrogeologic relationships between the R-M aquifer and cave formation in the Grand Canyon via descending (epigenic) surface waters have been well documented. However; the potentially large role of deeply sourced (hypogenic) waters rising from depth in relation to cave formation is poorly understood. The Bopper Cave System (BCS) is a relict feature of the ancient abandoned hydrologic system at Grand Canyon and displays unique network …
Topographic Gradients In Bulk Soil Properties In Central Kentucky Karst Sinkholes, Anne Kathryn Mcgraw
Topographic Gradients In Bulk Soil Properties In Central Kentucky Karst Sinkholes, Anne Kathryn Mcgraw
Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences
The Bluegrass physiographic region of Kentucky is underlain by the late Ordovician Lexington Limestone formation. This area has many identifiable karst features, including sinkholes. Karst sinkholes and associated soils coevolve, which may influence the distribution of bulk soil properties and storage of carbon across karst landscapes. Two sinkholes on the University of Kentucky’s C. Oran Little Animal Research Center in Woodford County, central Kentucky, were selected for analysis. We described and sampled nine pedons at the dominant landscape positions (e.g., summit, shoulder, backslope, footslope, and toeslope) within the two sinkholes; we characterized the physical, chemical, and mineralogical soil properties across …
Rethinking Karst Hazard Assessment In Kentucky, William P. Pierskalla Jr.
Rethinking Karst Hazard Assessment In Kentucky, William P. Pierskalla Jr.
Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences
Current karst hazard maps in Kentucky reflect the general lithology of the state and ignore or significantly reduce the impact of the actual sinkholes present within these areas. These maps rely on equal weighting, by area, of the Karst Potential Index (KPI) map and the sinkhole inventory map. The KPI is based on a 1:500,000 geologic map and less than 500 data points of carbonate rocks. The sinkhole inventory is derived from topographic maps updated in the 1970s with approximately 10-foot resolution. This method gives a preferential weighting of the KPI over the sinkhole data. Consequently, the current method is …
Variability In Groundwater Flow And Chemistry In The Houzhai Karst Basin, Guizhou Province, China, Joshua M. Barna
Variability In Groundwater Flow And Chemistry In The Houzhai Karst Basin, Guizhou Province, China, Joshua M. Barna
Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences
Understanding how karst aquifers store and transmit water and contaminants is an ongoing problem in hydrogeology. Flowpath and recharge heterogeneity contribute to the complexity of these systems. This thesis explores karst-conduit connectivity and water chemistry variability in the Houzhai catchment in Guizhou province, China. Artificial tracer tests were conducted during both the monsoon and dry seasons to understand temporal variability in connectivity and water velocity between karst features. Multiple flowpaths through the catchment are activated during the monsoon season and partially abandoned during the dry season. Additionally, gradient reversals during monsoonal high-flow events and as a result of pumping can …
Performance Of The Grout Curtain At The Kentucky River Lock And Dam No. 8, Robert C. Hatton
Performance Of The Grout Curtain At The Kentucky River Lock And Dam No. 8, Robert C. Hatton
Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering
Karst bedrock conditions and deterioration of the lock and dam structures have resulted in significant leakage through, underneath, and around Lock and Dam No. 8 on the Kentucky River. During severe droughts, the water surface in Pool No. 8 has been observed to drop below the crest of the dam, resulting in water supply shortages and water quality issues for surrounding communities reliant on the pool. Presently, the primary purpose of Lock and Dam No. 8 is water supply. Pool No. 8 is currently where the cities of Nicholasville (Jessamine County, KY) and Lancaster (Garrard County, KY) draw their water. …
Mobility Of Escherichia Coli Within Karst Terrains, Kentucky, Usa, Ashley M. Bandy
Mobility Of Escherichia Coli Within Karst Terrains, Kentucky, Usa, Ashley M. Bandy
Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences
Bacterial contamination of karst aquifers is a concern as water quality across the globe deteriorates in the face of decreasing water security. This study examined the transport and attenuation of two non-virulent isolates of Escherichia coli in relation to traditional groundwater tracers such as rhodamine WT dye and latex microspheres in two karst regions in Kentucky. Differential movement between the four tracers was observed in both epikarst and karst aquifer traces, with differences in behavior dependent on flow conditions. Attenuation was greater for the bacterial isolate containing the iha gene, compared to the isolate containing the kps gene. Microspheres of …
Integrated Geophysical Investigation Of Karst Features – Inner Bluegrass Region Of Kentucky, Jamin C. Frommel
Integrated Geophysical Investigation Of Karst Features – Inner Bluegrass Region Of Kentucky, Jamin C. Frommel
Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences
High-resolution electrical-resistivity, seismic-refraction, and seismic-reflection surveys were performed at three locations in the Inner Bluegrass Region of Kentucky along coincident survey lines in order to correlate results and determine which method is most effective at locating karst features in this area. The first two survey locations at Slack’s Cave and the Kentucky Horse Park were chosen in order to investigate known karst features. High and low electrical-resistivity anomalies were correlated to air- and water-filled karst voids, respectively. Seismic velocity anomalies, including parabolic time suppressions, amplitude terminations, and surface-wave backscatters, were also observed and correlated to these karst voids. These findings …
Fate Of Stable Isotope Label During Predation Of 15N-Tagged Wild-Type Escherichia Coli By Protozoa, Ashley M. Barton
Fate Of Stable Isotope Label During Predation Of 15N-Tagged Wild-Type Escherichia Coli By Protozoa, Ashley M. Barton
University of Kentucky Master's Theses
Currently, bacterial movement in karst aquifers is not well understood. Use of stable isotopes to label non-pathogenic Escherichia coli as a particulate groundwater tracer in karst systems has been examined in previous studies. Loss of the stable isotope signal is anticipated in traces greater than 500 m in length. Potential loss of 15N due to predation by protozoa was examined. Filter-sterilized water from Royal Spring in Georgetown, Kentucky, was inoculated with a mixture of either Tetrahymena pyriformis or Colpoda steinii and 15N-enriched E. coli and stored in the dark at 14°C. Samples were analyzed for their nitrogen isotope …
Feasibility Of Using 15N-Enriched Escherichia Coli As A Bacterial Tracer In The Cane Run/Royal Spring Basin, Kentucky, John G. Warden
Feasibility Of Using 15N-Enriched Escherichia Coli As A Bacterial Tracer In The Cane Run/Royal Spring Basin, Kentucky, John G. Warden
University of Kentucky Master's Theses
A novel tracer method has used 15N to label Escherichia coli and track the transport of bacteria, a common contaminant, through karst aquifers. Use of this method could provide valuable insight into the movement of bacteria in aquifers, which would help improve remediation methods and strategies. A wild strain of E. coli was isolated from the Cane Run/Royal Spring basin in the Inner Bluegrass region of Kentucky. The strain was serotyped O-:H- and virulence testing showed the strain did not have virulence factors of E. coli commonly pathogenic to humans. Five karst microcosms were filled with …
Latest Quaternary Paleoclimate Reconstruction Utilizing Stable Isotopic And Trace Element Proxies In A Stalagmite From Culverson Creek Cave, West Virginia, Ashley Nicole Gilbert
Latest Quaternary Paleoclimate Reconstruction Utilizing Stable Isotopic And Trace Element Proxies In A Stalagmite From Culverson Creek Cave, West Virginia, Ashley Nicole Gilbert
University of Kentucky Master's Theses
A reconstruction of regional climate variability in southern West Virginia that spans the last glacial/interglacial transition is presented. Paleoclimate interpretations obtained from the 50-cm long stalagmite provide key insights regarding the timing, magnitude, and forcing mechanisms responsible for past climate variability. Stable isotopic (δ18O and δ13C) and trace element (Ba, Sr, Mg) signatures from samples contiguously milled along the growth-axis of a 230Th-dated stalagmite which grew between approximately 20 and 5 thousand years before present (kyr BP) provide critical constraints for above-cave mean annual temperature, seasonality of moisture mean annual precipitation, and potential vegetation shifts. …
The Mobility Of Fecal Indicator Microorganisms Within A Karst Groundwater Basin In The Inner Bluegrass Region, Kentucky, James Wade Ward
The Mobility Of Fecal Indicator Microorganisms Within A Karst Groundwater Basin In The Inner Bluegrass Region, Kentucky, James Wade Ward
University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations
This project implemented novel approaches to assess the source, age, concentration and mobility of fecal indicator microorganisms within a karst groundwater system. Research was conducted in the well-characterized Blue Hole Spring karst groundwater basin in Versailles, Woodford County, Kentucky. At this site the AC/TC ratio and fecal coliform (FC) bacteria counts were used to delineate sources of fecal inputs and determine relative age of the fecal matter. An aging experiment using indicator bacteria (total coliform (TC) and atypical colonies (AC)), which approximated subsurface conditions, indicated that changes in the AC/TC ratio are likely to be retarded during bacterial transport through …