Geology Commons^™

Suspended Sediment Transport Dynamics And Sediment Yields In Relation To Watershed Characteristics, Upper Green River Basin, Kentucky, James Nii Aboh Otoo

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Sediment delivery is a major problem in the Green River, Kentucky, home of 71 of the state’s 103 known mussel species and 151 fish species. The river also provides water for many of its surrounding counties. This research focuses on how suspended sediment loads, grain size, and sediment concentration during runoff events are related to watershed characteristics.

The research characterized suspended sediment loads, grain size, and sediment concentration during runoff events and how they were related to watershed characteristics such as hydro-climatic regime, watershed size, geology and soils, topography and landuse conditions and land cover conditions. The study focused on …

Constructing A Flash Flood Climatology Of The Appalachian Mountains: Comparison Of Eastern Kentucky And West Virginia Summer Time Rain Events, Jane Marie Wix

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The Appalachian Mountains are subject to flash floods due to interactions between complex terrain and frequent rainfall. Previous studies have shown that a number of environmental factors can trigger flash floods, which can leave behind a variety of outcomes. However, there is a lack of research concerning flash floods in the Appalachian region. This study addresses these concerns by examining summer (June-August) rainfall frequency and intensity in connection with flash floods in the Appalachian region of eastern Kentucky and West Virginia during 1995-2005. Flash floods were identified using the National Climatic Data Center’s (NCDC) Storm Database. Radar estimated rainfall data …

Fractal Location And Anomalous Diffusion Dynamics For Oil Wells From The Ky Geological Survey, Keith Andrew, Karla M. Andrew, Kevin A. Andrew

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Utilizing data available from the Kentucky Geonet (KYGeonet.ky.gov) the fossil fuel mining locations created by the Kentucky Geological Survey geo-locating oil and gas wells are mapped using ESRI ArcGIS in Kentucky single plain 1602 ft projection. This data was then exported into a spreadsheet showing latitude and longitude for each point to be used for modeling at different scales to determine the fractal dimension of the set. Following the porosity and diffusivity studies of Tarafdar and Roy[1] we extract fractal dimensions of the fossil fuel mining locations and search for evidence of scaling laws for the set of deposits. The …

Geogram 2009, David J. Keeling Editor, Wku Department Of Geography And Geology

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Publications

No abstract provided.

Modeling Stormwater Pollutant Transport In A Karst Region--Bowling Green, Kentucky, Allison H. Ross

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The management of stormwater runoff is a particular challenge for communities in karst regions. Most guidelines for compliance with regulations for stormwater monitoring and mapping pertain to non-karst environments. It can be argued that effective stormwater management is even more essential to karst regions because stormwater receives little or no natural filtration as it is transferred through conduits in the subsurface and the buildup of pollutants underneath can be detrimental to community and environmental health if not effectively mitigated. Because of the limited resources available to determine how stormwater runoff carries potential pollutants across the surface before being transferred to …

Vadose Zone Hydrology Near The Vicinity Of Edna's Dome, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, Johnny Merideth

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study examines the differences in key physical aqueous parameters at two different cave sites separated by only a few tens of meters. One site (FF) has a freefalling water component where water descends nearly 30 meters from the ceiling of a vertical shaft. The other location (WW) appears to have continuous water to rock contact as it descends to near the same level in the cave.

Water samples were collected at the two sites in two week intervals from May to August 2002. While both sites were proximal, they demonstrated very different behaviors, particularly during storm events. Differences in …

The Biscayne Aquifer Of Southeastern Florida, Kevin J. Cunningham, Lee J. Florea

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Cumberland Plateau Of Eastern Kentucky, Larry C. Simpson, Lee J. Florea

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Southeastern Coastal Plain: An Overview, Lee J. Florea, H. L. Vacher

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Caves And Karst Of West-Central Florida, Lee J. Florea, David A. Budd, Robert B. Brinkman

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Application Of Electrical Resistivity And Microgravity To Locate Tunnels Along The U.S.-Mexico Border At Calexico, Gina Lee Cesin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

No abstract provided.

Atrazine Contamination And Suspended Sediment Transport Within Logsdon River, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, Julie Eileen Schenck Brown

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Understanding the potential for karst aquifer contamination by sediment-sorbed pesticides is important for cave conservation efforts in agricultural landscapes. Flow rate, water quality parameters and suspended sediment concentrations were measured in Logsdon River, a ~10km karst conduit within the Turnhole Spring Groundwater Basin of Mammoth Cave National Park to determine characteristics of storm-period transport of sediment-sorbed atrazine through a conduit-flow karst aquifer.

Analysis of two independent precipitation events occurring in the Spring of 2008 from May 2-4 and May 27-29 demonstrated the rapid response of the Logsdon River to precipitation events with detections of atrazine increasing during the initial turbidity …

Watershed Condition Assessment For Little River Canyon National Preserve, Alabama, Nathan Demille Rinehart

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

No abstract provided.

Simulation Modeling Of Karst Aquifer Conduit Evolution And Relations To Climate, John D. Broome

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

ABSTRACT Karst regions of the world that receive relatively similar amounts of precipitation display a wide variety of landscapes. It has been suggested (Groves and Meiman, 2005) that climates exhibiting larger discrete storm events have more dissolving power and consequently higher rates of conduit growth than climates with more uniform precipitation distributions. To study this concept, a computer program “Cave Growth” was developed that modeled the growth of a cross-section of a cave passage under dynamic flow and chemical conditions. A series of 46 simulation datasets were created to represent different climatic conditions. These simulations had the same total annual …

Kamper Re-Visited Concert (Program), Klaus Kamper, Janet Bass Smith

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

One hundred years ago, a young German engineer named Max Kämper, came as a visitor to Mammoth Cave. He became so enchanted with the cavern he obtained permission to map the vast system. For the next eight months Max, along with assistance from cave guide Ed Bishop, meticulously put together a highly detailed and accurate map revealing more of the cave than ever before. He probably never realized his work would be admired by generations to follow. Some admire its artistic expression of the cave. Others see beauty in its precision. Ultimately, it has become the iconic map for generations …

Slave Guide Legacy At Mammoth Cave, Joy Medley Lyons

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Serving as guides and explorers at Mammoth Cave partially rescued four men from the obscurity of enslavement. Stephen Bishop, Materson Bransford, Nicholas Bransford and a young man named Alfred all had their very existence documented in the written journals and diaries of various nineteenth century Mammoth Cave visitors. They were physically described, their personalities contemplated, their intelligence gauged, their dialects imitated. At least one abolitionist characterized Stephen Bishop as a charismatic natural leader who could govern the citizenry of freed men in Liberia, should he choose to relocate there.

Max Kämper’S Introduction To The New World, Stanley D. Sides, M.D.

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Twenty-seven year old engineer Max Eduard Kämper arrived in America at 4:00 pm on May 16, 1907 and was greeted by a thunderstorm. His presumed goals were to study American manufacturing methods, learn English, and enrich himself musically. New York had so many German immigrants at the time that German was the second most common language spoken in the city. He stayed at the Belvedere House at the corner of 4th Avenue and 18th Street, and the next day visited acquaintances in Newark. He visited New York landmarks and May 20 visited the famed Hippodrome theater. He moved on May …

Searching For Max: The Engineer, The War And The World´S Longest Cave (Part 1), Bernd Kliebhan

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

In 1908 the German engineer Max Kämper mapped 35 miles of Mammoth Cave, KY. The “Kämper Map,” forgotten in the archives for half a century, is nowadays considered as a masterpiece of underground cartography. Little was known about Max Kämper despite several attempts of American speleo-historians. Most traces were wiped out in two world wars. Nevertheless the authors could find out details of the biography of Max Kämper in German archives. The text is based based upon the radio story “Suche nach Max,” broadcasted by Hessischer Rundfunk - hr1 December 26, 1999, audio download available on http://www.kliebhan.de/kaemper.htm

Mammoth Cave International Center For Science And Learning, Rick Toomey, Shannon R. Trimboli, Bob Ward, Mike Adams, Blaine Ferrell

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

The Mammoth Cave International Center for Science and Learning (MCICSL) is a cooperative venture of Mammoth Cave National Park and Western Kentucky University. Funding, logistical support, and governance of MCICSL are shared equally by both entities. MCICSL is part of a national network of research learning centers located within the National Park Service.

The goals of MCICSL and the other research learning centers are to:

I. Facilitate the use of parks for scientific inquiry.

II. Support science-informed decision making.

III. Communicate the relevance of and provide access to knowledge gained through scientific research.

IV. Promote science literacy and resource stewardship. …

The Lamps That Lit Their Way, Rick Olson

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

The distinctive lanterns used at Mammoth Cave from the middle 1800s until 1938 appear to be a locally derived design. Early whale oil railroad lanterns share some characteristics of the Mammoth Cave lanterns, but L&N Railroad lanterns do not appear to have influenced the design. At this time, the design pathway appears to lead from simple open-flame tin candle lanterns to the same lantern with a petticoat lamp affixed in place of the candle, and then finally to the font or oil container being soldered onto the lamp base as one unit. This basic Mammoth Cave lantern varied somewhat over …

A Long History Of Linkages And Synergy: Western Kentucky University And The Mammoth Cave System, Deana Groves, Chris Groves, Weldon Hawkins

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

No abstract provided.

The Puzzling Mr. Janin And Mammoth Cave Management, 1900-1910, Katie Algeo

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Albert Covington Janin was the key architect of tourism development at Mammoth Cave for two decades at the start of the twentieth century, yet little has been written about his tenure. This paper explores his background and accomplishments for the period 1900 to 1910 as an initial attempt to understand his contributions to Mammoth Cave. Material about his activities in relation to Mammoth Cave is synthesized from primary sources in the archival collections of the Huntington Library (HL) of San Marino, California, and the Historical Society of Washington, DC (HSW).

Contributions To Karst Science And Education From The Mammoth Cave Region, Chris Groves, William B. White

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

No abstract provided.

Mammoth Cave: What A Difference A Few Friends Can Make, Lajuana S. Wilcher

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

No abstract provided.

Mapping Of Mammoth Cave: How Cartography Fueled Discoveries, With Emphasis On Max Kaemper’S 1908 Map, Roger W. Brucker

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Maps came first at Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. Then came explorers who used the maps to make discoveries as they gained a more comprehensive understanding of the longest cave in the world. The saga of mapping at Mammoth Cave parallels the mapping of North America from the 1600s onward. The first map was an “Eye-Draught Map of Mammoth Cave”, penned from memory in 1811, not a survey, to acquaint merchants with the location of saltpeter dirt. In 1835 the managers of Mammoth Cave hired a surveyor, Edmond Lee, to survey and map and profile the main cave passages. Stephen Bishop, a …

Max Kaemper’S Unique Selection Of Place Names For His 1908 Map Of Mammoth Cave, Charles A. Swedlund, George M. Crothers

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

In this paper we present Max Kaemper’s unique selection of Place Names for his 1908 map of Mammoth Cave. He realized the importance of Place Names and they became a feature on his map. His sensitive selection of Place Names provides a greater cultural emphasis, when compared to the previous maps.

The Evolution Of Cave Mapping And Cartography, Pat Kambesis

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

“Does it go?” Is the initial question that has inspired many a cave explorer to push the extent of a cave system. But the answer only brings more questions…how far, how long, how deep does it go? During the exploration process, as a cave system reveals its complexity, the questions also change – what is the cave’s relationship to the surface, and to surrounding caves? What are the features and obstacles that the cave contains? Those involved in cave exploration know that the only way to answer these questions is with systematic documentation in the form of cave and surface …

Mammoth Cave National Park's Max Kaemper Centennial Symposium & 9th Science Symposium: Cultural History And Research, Shannon Trimboli , Editor

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

No abstract provided.

Geogram 2008, David J. Keeling, Wku Department Of Geography And Geology

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Publications

No abstract provided.

Water Quality Impacts From Agricultural Land Use In Karst Drainage Basins Of Sw Kentucky And Sw China, Chris Groves, Ted Baker

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

Karst regions are composed of soluble rock, often limestone, which leads to the formation of fissures, sinkholes, and water flow conduits such as caves. Pollutants in karst waters tend to be quickly directed and concentrated into these subsurface conduits. As a result of this and other factors, water resources are especially sensitive to contamination and pollution in karst areas. Pollutant concentrations going into karst subsurface fluvial systems are often very similar to the concentrations surfacing at outlets such as springs. Areas connected by karst conduit flows must be distinctly determined and special attention should be given to water quality impacts …