Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Solution Geochemistry Of The Water Of Limestone Terrains, John Thrailkill, David B. Beiter, Michael T. Osolnik, Roger H. Postley, William T. Mitchell, Leonard N. Plummer, James R. Riddell, Richard C. Worley, Robert D. Zwicker

KWRRI Research Reports

Limestone groundwater flows mainly in openings it has solutionally enlarged, thus an understanding of the water's state of saturation relative to calcite (the principal mineral component of limestone) is fundamental to an understanding of the nature and evolution of the limestone aquifer. This study investigated the Mammoth Cave-Sinkhole Plain (MCSP) and Cave Hollow (CH) aquifers in Kentucky, both in Missippian limestones.

Both aquifers were always undersaturated with calcite. Except for completely ventilated vadose flows (usually) and some vadose seepage (occasionally), all recharges sampled (sinking streams, vadose flows, and vadose seepage) were also undersaturated. The lack of saturation in the MCSP …