Geology Commons^™

Karst Hydrogeologic Framework And Factors Contributing To Flooding In Burgin, Kentucky, Charles Taylor, Junfeng Zhu, Matthew Carmichael, Hudson J. Koch

KGS Publications and Maps

This report examines the karst hydrogeologic setting and drainage characteristics that are thought to contribute to frequent severe flooding in the city of Burgin in Mercer County, Kentucky. Burgin is located at the eastern end of an approximately 4.5 mi² mapped karst groundwater basin in the Ordovician limestone aquifer system in the Inner Bluegrass karst region. Flooding occurs within a streamless 1.4 mi² dry karst valley where almost all channelized surface runoff has been captured by sinkholes and sinking stream segments and diverted underground by con­duit piracy. The only natural outlet for water exiting from the karst valley and larger …

Geospatial Analysis Of Sinkhole Density And Characteristics In West Virginia, Marissa Shannon Loftus

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Creation of a sinkhole map of West Virginia provides useful data to help identify areas susceptible to sinkhole related hazards, as well as allowing for detailed analysis of factors controlling karst development. Newly available, statewide LiDAR-derived digital elevation data have made mapping sinkholes over larger spatial extents feasible. For this study, sinkholes were mapped for all areas of West Virginia that are underlain by carbonate rocks; then the distribution and characteristics were evaluated overall and in four focus areas (Berkeley and Jefferson counties, Pendleton County, Greenbrier County, and Monroe County). These areas correspond to broader physiographic regions, with Berkeley, Jefferson, …

A Cave In Miocene Conglomerate: The Törökpince-Abaliget Cave System, Hungary, Krisztina Sebe, Piroska Pazonyi, Márton Bauer, Bálint Szappanos, Márton Szabó, Zoltán Szentesi, Mihály Gasparik, Ákos Juhász, Luca Pandolfi, Máté Gregorits, József Haász, Ágnes Novothny, Zsófia Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger

International Journal of Speleology

Conglomerate caves are rare, and only a few have been described in the scientific literature. Here, we present a newly discovered and significant cave system in SW Hungary, comprising over 500 m of upper passages and a shorter, lower section of a through-cave developed in Lower–Middle Miocene conglomerates. The formation of these cave passages was controlled chiefly by bedding and fractures. Dissolution has produced typical karstification morphologies, whereas corrasion, granular disintegration, and rock collapse have also played a role in shaping the cave. The cave is dominated by vadose-zone morphologies, but sediment infills indicating upward water flow, along with ceiling …

Lidar-Based Delineation Of Karst Features In The Gypsum Plain, Eddy County, New Mexico And Culberson County, Texas, Kaitlyn Rae Levassar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Gypsum Plain of the Delaware Basin encompasses approximately 1,800 km² of massive to laminated gypsum (anhydrite in the subsurface) outcrop of early Ochoan Castile and Salado strata. These extensive Permian-age evaporites host significant karst phenomena as a result of the region's complex hydrogeologic system which has continuously evolved since the early Paleogene. Karst features that manifest surficially as sinkholes when breached range from extensive hypogene cave systems to epigene features and suffosion caves. In contrast, paleo-collapse structures forming breccia pipes attesting to more ancient karst within these strata often manifest as topographic highs across the Gypsum Plain.

Until …

Evaluation Of Practical Methods To Determine If A Karst Creek Is Gaining Or Losing: Case Study Of Leith Creek, Elizabeth Jones

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Karst landscapes are abundant in Missouri, with features such as caves, springs, and sinkholes that form through the dissolution of limestone. Leith Creek is a small stream in Polk County, Missouri fed by two springs and the shallow unconfined Springfield Plateau aquifer, a highly karstified aquifer which is made up of limestone and minor interbedded shale-mudstone units. To determine if Leith Creek is gaining or losing, stream flow, water chemistry and temperature sensors were monitored. Stream flow results required multiple visits to take measurements while temperature sensors required two visits, one to install the dataloggers and another to remove the …

Polygenetic Cave Sedimentation And Speleogenesis In The Mccloud Limestone Of Northern California, Niles Lathrop

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Caves in the Permian-aged, McCloud Limestone of the Klamath Mountains of Northern California preserve a diverse range of clastic sediments that represent broad-scale variations in paleo-hydrologic conditions and transport mechanisms that hint at varied modes of speleogenesis through local landscape development. Caves in the McCloud Limestone exhibit a range of cave passage geometries and arrangements that suggests periods of both hypogene and epigene cave development through temporal and spatial scales. This study evaluates the variability in the distribution, mineralogy, and transport mechanisms of clastic-cave sediments in seven hydrologically-distinct caves in the McCloud Limestone to establish relationships between clastic-cave sedimentation and …

Development And Application Of The Sinkhole Hazard Risk Index To Inform Karst Policy And Mitigation Planning, Meghan Puente

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Sinkholes are geologic hazards that occur in karst landscapes and can be highly destructive and costly. Sinkhole mitigation plans and development policies are nonexistent at the federal level within the United States and vary significantly at the state level. The lack of a unified standard for sinkhole mitigation planning is partly due to a lack of available data and resources needed to assess sinkhole risk. While there are established sinkhole assessments within the literature, they focus more on the detection and prediction of sinkholes rather than a holistic approach to risk assessment. The goal of this study is to create …

Environments And Controls Of Erosional Bedforms In Soluble Channels, Ethan W. Oleson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Erosional bedforms, such as scallops, preserve valuable information on the paleohydrologic conditions forming soluble channels in karst systems. While these bedforms are commonly used to interpret past conditions, questions about their formation remain. Mathematical models of speleogenesis in turbulent flow predict that the conditions for forming scallops do not occur in natural carbonate systems. However, scallops are readily found in caves throughout the world. This conundrum has several possible resolutions, but each lacks field-based observations. We present a field-based study of the environments and controls of scallops in gypsum, limestone, and dolostone caves. Our results are based on field observation, …

Joint Map Of Hardin County, Kentucky, Steven L. Martin, Emily Morris

Map and Chart--KGS

New field mapping of joints with previously published joint and fault locations. This fracture map can be used as a critical data source for hydrological, karst or geotechnical applications. Joint orientations were measured in 2009, 2022 and 2023, and are combined with joint and fault locations for Hardin County, Kentucky from 1:24,000-scale USGS geologic quadrangle maps that were published from 1962 to 1977. The geologic quadrangle maps for the county were digitized from 2002 to 2007.

The geology of Hardin County consists of Upper Devonian New Albany Shale overlain by Lower to Upper Mississippian-age sequences of limestone, dolomite, sandstone and …

Subsurface Mapping Of Intra-Arbuckle Shale In North-West Kansas Using Well Log Data, Cole M. Denny

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

The aim of this research was to enhance knowledge of Intra-Arbuckle Shale (IAS) distribution and structure through new maps, cross sections, and well log correlations. Understanding the shale(s) ultimately advances the discernment of complex Arbuckle reservoirs that are critical to the Kansas petroleum industry. IAS has been intercepted by oil wells throughout Kansas, but this study focuses on their presence in portions of Ellis, Rooks, Graham, and Trego counties. To study the distribution and structure of IAS, data from micro-resistivity and gamma ray well logs were collected from more than three hundred Arbuckle oil and gas wells. On each well …

Assessing Microplastic Contamination Within Karst Groundwater Basins In Kentucky, Maaz Fareedi

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The input and abrasion of plastic waste in the environment has long been known to form microplastics (MPs). These ubiquitous contaminants are easily mobilized into hydrologic systems. MPs are now being found in karst aquifers around the world, including several across Kentucky, USA. Due to their size (< 5 mm in diameter), chemical properties, abundance, and wide distribution, MPs pose numerous ecological hazards, including uptake by organisms and as substrates for contaminant sorption. Karst groundwater is especially vulnerable to surface contaminants; however, knowledge of the extent of karst MP contamination is limited, with most studies focused on individual sites or small areas. In this study, we created a MP contamination dataset for 30 karst springs and 10 locations where cave sediments were characterized across Kentucky. MP concentrations in groundwater samples ranged from 0 to 41.1 items/L and yielded an average of 4.9 ± 8.7 items/L. Sediment MP concentrations ranged from 0 to 306 items/kg. We performed statistical analyses and linear regressions to examine whether groundwater MP concentrations could be explained by factors including land use, population density, basin area, numbers of sinkholes, and sinking streams. Our models revealed that population density, agrarian land use, sinking stream density, and basin area were related to MP concentrations. All factors except basin area trended positively with MP concentration, while basin area trended negatively. These relations are generally corroborated by existing literature, however they indicate that further studies with considerably larger sample sizes are needed to determine mechanistic relationships.

Water Quality Of A Karstic Shallow Aquifer In Greene And Lawrence Counties, Missouri, Claudia Patricia Colmenero Chacon

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

A water quality investigation in the Springfield Plateau aquifer of Greene and Lawrence counties, Missouri, was conducted. Water samples from eleven springs were collected at regular intervals during 2023 to determine major water quality parameters: total dissolved solids (TDS), alkalinity, calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), sulfate (SO₄), chloride (Cl) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃-N), along with per- and poly-fluorinated alkali substances (PFAS) from spring sediments. Nitrate-nitrogen was analyzed because of the importance for environmental health (e.g. to avoid eutrophication). Springs samples were separated by land use into urban and rural samples. In addition, Springfield Plateau water quality …

Groundwater Flow And Water Clarity At Cenotes In The Yucatan Peninsula, Laura Rossana Fracica Gonzalez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Characterizing and predicting groundwater flow in complex karst aquifers poses significant challenges. This study explores the potential application of Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) technology for in-situ groundwater flow measurement within sinkholes (cenotes) in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Two specific questions are addressed: 1) Can ADCP determine flow within Yucatan Peninsula sinkholes? 2) Are groundwater flow vectors related to water clarity in open cenotes? The geological setting of the Yucatan Platform is characterized by horizontal sedimentary strata with highly permeable limestones and extensive karst features. The research focuses on the Holbox fracture zone, where groundwater flow dynamics remain elusive. The …

Landscape/Atmosphere Interactions And Carbon-Dioxide Dynamics In The Great Onyx Groundwater Basin, Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, Meghan Raines

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An increase in atmospheric CO2 since the Industrial Revolution has altered rates of global climate change and has motivated a need to better quantify the flux of carbon between Earth’s reservoirs. Attempts to quantify the exchange of atmospheric carbon between sources and sinks have led to an increasing interest in the terrestrial landscape, including the continental carbon sink associated with carbonate-mineral dissolution. This research sought to better inform an understanding of karst landscapes and their relationship with global climate change through carbon cycling. The study utilized high-resolution data collection of pH, temperature, and specific conductance of waters in the Cascade …

Kentucky Karst Dye Trace Database, Sarah M. Arpin, Benjamin W. Tobin, Maaz Fareedi, Adam Link, James C. Currens

Research Data--KGS

This dataset provides the geographical locations of karst groundwater basins, groundwater flowpaths, and dye injection/recovery points in Kentucky. Dye tracing is a common method used for understanding groundwater movement. Dye is poured (or injected) into a sinking stream, well, sinkhole, or body of water, where it is carried down-gradient by flowing water. The locations at which dye is recovered (typically at artesian springs) indicates a connection from injection to recovery site. This connection is refered to as a groundwater flowpath. Conducting multiple dye traces across an area allows for the interpretation of regional groundwater flow by assessing where flowpaths either …

Water Chemistry Variability In Peacock Springs Cave System And Spring Basin: Impacts On Continuous Monitoring Of Karst Aquifers, Mahnoor Kamal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Upper Floridan Aquifer (UFA) is a highly transmissive and heterogeneous karst aquifer that makes it acutely susceptible to pollution. Rapid and extensive water quality changes in nutrients at springs draining the UFA have prompted intensive monitoring at several priority springs, including continuous and discrete water quality sampling. Springs, however, are a discrete discharge point of an often-expansive phreatic cave network that can intersect different land uses and thus drain distinct geographic areas of a springshed. The extensive network contains convergent passages from deep and shallow aquifer regions and may contribute to varying water chemistry across passages resulting in water …

A Predictive Flood Model For Urban Karst Groundwater Systems, Trayson Lawler

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Urban karst environments are often plagued by groundwater flooding, which occurs when water rises from the subsurface to the surface through the underlying caves and other karst features. The heterogeneity and interconnectedness of karst systems often makes them very unpredictable, especially during intense storm events; urbanization exacerbates the problem with the addition of many impervious surfaces. Residents in such areas are frequently disturbed and financially burdened by the effects of karst groundwater flooding. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers limited protection to citizens living near flood-prone areas as they primarily focus on the areas near surface bodies of water. …

Hydrology Data For Fern Cave, Alabama (2020-2022), Benjamin Tobin, Benjamin V. Miller, Matthew Niemiller, Andrea Erhardt

Research Data--KGS

Dataset includes water level from four sites within Fern Cave in Jackson County Alabama. Additionally, it includes chemistry of water, sediments and cave-adapted isopods.

Predictive Modeling Of Cave Entrance Locations: Relationships Between Surface And Subsurface Morphology, William Blitch, Adia R. Sovie, Benjamin Tobin

Faculty, Staff, and Affiliated Publications--KGS

Cave entrances directly connect the surface and subsurface geomorphology in karst landscapes. Understanding the spatial distribution of these features can help identify areas on the landscape that are critical to flow in the karst groundwater system. Sinkholes and springs are major locations of inflow and outflow from the groundwater system, respectively, however not all sinkholes and springs are equally connected to the main conduit system.

Predicting where on the landscape zones of high connectivity exist is a challenge because cave entrances are difficult to detect and imperfectly documented. Wildlife research has a similar issue of understanding the complexities of where …

Comparison Of Groundwater Chemistry And Associated Biodiversity Of Sulfidic Karst Habitats In Southcentral Kentucky, Kendall Wheeler

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In most ecosystems, primary production is conducted by plants or photosynthetic microbes; however, extremophilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria can use hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S) as an electron donor to produce metabolic energy in a type of metabolism called chemoautotrophy. These ecosystems are a prominent feature of some karst landscapes, and two have been observed in the Mammoth Cave system, Sulphur River in Parker Cave and Marianne’s Pass in Mammoth Cave National Park respectively.

Sulfidic water is ubiquitous in southcentral Kentucky and is strongly associated with hydrocarbon deposits. This oil boom of the 1880s in this region predates most environmental regulation and records …

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 …

Hydrogeologic Investigation Of A Covered Karst Terrain, Joseph Peter Honings

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Increasing demand for water for agricultural use within the Dougherty Plain of the Southeastern United States has depleted surface water bodies. In karstic landscapes, such as the Dougherty Plain in southwest Georgia where the linkages between surface and ground waters are close, there is a need to understand the physical characteristics of the subsurface that allow these close linkages. Having a better understanding of the subsurface characteristics will aid numerical modeling efforts that underpin policy decisions and economic analyses. Two common features on this karstic landscape are draws and geographically isolated wetlands. Using LiDAR, aerial imagery, and ground-penetrating radar, this …

Geospatial Applications Of Cave Resource Data To Better Understand Epikarst And Unsaturated Zone Groundwater Flow Path Development, Sierra M. Heimel, Benjamin W. Tobin

Faculty, Staff, and Affiliated Publications--KGS

The unsaturated zone is a critical component of karstic groundwater systems and is shown to provide substantial storage capacities. Understanding the spatial patterns and controls on flow path activation is often a challenge. Previous research focused on remotely sensed data or inferential analyses to quantify these patterns. Here, we use two cave systems—one in Arizona, USA and a second in Kentucky, USA—to show the value of the cave survey and inventory data in the direct observation of speleogenesis and unsaturated zone processes. Using geospatial statistical analyses, we show that passage size varies with distance from some faults, indicating that these …

Surficial Geologic Map Of The Flaherty 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, Kentucky, Ann Hislop, Matthew Massey, Maxwell L. Hammond Iii, Antonia E. Bottoms, Michele Mchugh, Emily Morris

Contract Reports--KGS

The Flaherty 7.5-minute quadrangle is located southwest of Louisville and northwest of Elizabethtown along the boundary between Hardin and Meade Counties. The quadrangle includes mostly the Pennyroyal region of the Mississippian Plateau and also smaller areas of the Mammoth Cave plateau and the highly dissected Dripping Springs escarpment in the western half of the map area (McDowell, 1986). Topography is mostly characterized by pervasive sinkhole development in a lower elevation and low-relief plain, and high-relief plateaus, ridges, and knobs of the Dripping Springs escarpment scattered along the west side of the quadrangle. Swadley (1963) mapped the bedrock geology of the …

Investigation Into Karst Of Southwest Missouri Using Electrical Resistivity, Donald Zachary Wormington

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Nixa, Missouri is located on the southwestern edge of the Ozark Dome which has a karst geomorphological environment. Near surface geophysical methods can be used in determining the location and nature of karst features such as caves and sinkholes. Electrical resistivity methods have been shown to be among the most useful methods in deciphering sinkholes and caves. To investigate a known cave and related sinkholes and faults within Mississippian carbonates south of Nixa, Missouri, a series of two-dimensional electrical resistivity profiles were collected using the dipole-dipole and Schlumberger arrays. Terrain data was collected to include in modeling. The data were …

Dye Tracing And The Effects Of Infrastructure In Hidden River Cave, Horse Cave, Ky, Alexa G. Franks

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Hidden River Cave is a stream cave system found in Horse Cave, KY with continuous water flow of its two branches, Wheet River and East River. The infrastructure of the city of Hose Cave, KY was originally designed to utilize natural sinkholes for drainage of all wastewaters. The city uses many of these, now modified, sinkholes for wastewater disposal and storm water drainage. Historically, Hidden River Cave has been severely impacted by unmonitored dumping of contamination. To better understand and identify specific flow paths from sinkholes and infrastructure into Hidden River Cave, this study documented various sinkholes and other infrastructure, …

Chemical Characterization Of Clastic Cave Sediments And Insights Into Particle Transport And Storage In Karst Aquifers, Jill L. Riddell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Abstract

Chemical characterization of clastic cave sediments and insights into particle transport and storage in karst aquifers

Jill L. Riddell

Cave sediments can be divided into two groups: precipitates and clastics. Precipitates are speleothems, or lithologic or mineral features that are chemically precipitated in the cave environment. Clastic cave sediments are frequently described by depositional facies, sorting, and particle size (Bosch and White, 2004). Robust analytical chemical analyses of these sediments to quantify their physical and chemical components is rarely performed although some chemical characterization of mineralogy and paleomagnetism has become prevalent in recent years (Chess et al., 2010; Sasowsky …

Terrestrial Lidar Scanning And Gaming Engines: Using Unity3d To Visualize High-Resolution Point Clouds From Big Bat Cave, Kentucky, Jeffrey Aaron Baggett

Theses and Dissertations

Terrestrial LiDAR scanning has become a staple of modern speleological research and mapping due to its increasing availability, rapid deployment, and ability to collect large quantities of spatial data in a short period of time. In addition to spatial data, LiDAR scanners’ ability to record reflection intensity is of interest in the geoscience community as a proxy for surface reflectivity and as a means of aiding in visualizations when a lack of lighting prevents the use of photography at a useful scale. In this study, a methodology for rendering a stereoscopic, real-time rendering of a 10 scan, 425-million point portion …

Atmosphere/Landscape Co2 Interactions In Mammoth Cave National Park: Hydrochemistry Of Cascade River, Great Onyx Cave, Jessica Williams

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

High-resolution analysis of water/CO₂/carbonate rock geochemistry was conducted at the Great Onyx Groundwater Basin in Mammoth Cave National Park. The purpose of this work has been to undertake hydrochemical characterization of the karst groundwater in Cascade River, the largest cave stream in the upper level of Great Onyx Cave, which is below a relatively pristine karst landscape.

Hydrochemical monitoring of Cascade River at Biz Falls using field, laboratory, and high-resolution electronic data-sonde measurements has provided a detailed picture of the stream’s behavior with respect to the transport and influence of carbon dioxide in the surface and groundwater system …

Porosity And Permeability Extremes In An Eogenetic Carbonate Platform: Mechanisms For Formation And Implications For Fluid Flow, Charles I. Breithaupt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Carbonate rocks contain about a third of the worlds drinking water and host 60-70% of proven hydrocarbon reserves. Effective development and management of these resources relies heavily on geologic concepts used to predict the distribution, and magnitude of porosity and permeability in the aquifer or reservoir. Most geologic concepts used for flow prediction have been developed in telegenic limestones, where fracture networks, bedding plains, and conduits hosted in effectively impermeable bedrock control the movement of fluids, and evolution of porosity. However, a growing body of work has recognized fluid flow within eogenetic limestones is fundamentally different, and that new concepts …