Geology Commons^™

Inventory Of Karst Springs Of Fayette County, Kentucky, James C. Currens, Qianhong Wu, Kenneth G. Pidgeon

Map and Chart--KGS

The purpose of this publication is to document karst springs in Fayette County and provide a resource to help the county's citizens avoid the geologic hazards associated with building near springs during future urban development. It may be used as an aid in locating potential groundwater discharge points in case of hazardous material spills, and to provide a foundation for future studies of the hydrogeology and karst geology of the Inner Bluegrass Region.

It is also a basic historical record of the springs of Fayette County. Although over 350 springs are reported here, this inventory is not exhaustive. At the …

Mapped Karst Groundwater Basins In The Lexington 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, James C. Currens, Randall L. Paylor, Joseph A. Ray

Map and Chart--KGS

This map shows karst groundwater basins in the Lexington quadrangle, determined primarily by groundwater tracer studies. It can be used to quickly identify the groundwater basins and springs to which a site may drain. Major springs and the relative size of their catchment areas can be evaluated for potential as water supplies. The map also serves as a geographic index to literature on karst groundwater in the area.

Kentucky Is Karst Country! What You Should Know About Sinkholes And Springs, James C. Currens

Information Circular--KGS

Kentucky is one of the most famous karst areas in the world. What is karst? It's a landscape with sinkholes, sinking streams, caves, and springs. Much of Kentucky's beautiful scenery, particularly in the Inner Bluegrass Region, is the result of the development of karst landscape. A large amount of Kentucky's prime farmland (including its famous horse farms) is underlain by karst, and springs and wells in karst areas supply water to thousands of homes. Many of Kentucky's major cities, including Frankfort, Louisville, Lexington, Lawrenceburg, Georgetown, Winchester, Paris, Versailles, Nicholasville, Fort Knox, Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Munfordville, Russellville, Hopkinsville, …

Generalized Geologic Map For Land-Use Planning: Lexington And Fayette County, Kentucky, Daniel I. Carey, Martin C. Noger, Paul Howell

Map and Chart--KGS

This map is not intended to be used for selecting individual sites. Its purpose is to inform land-use planners, government officials, and the public in a general way about geologic bedrock conditions that affect the selection of sites for various purposes.

Water Well And Spring Map Of The Falmouth, Cincinnati, And Madison 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangles, Kentucky, Bart Davidson

Map and Chart--KGS

No abstract provided.

Bronston And Burnside Members: Subdivision Of The St. Louis Limestone In South-Central Kentucky, Garland R. Dever Jr., Jack R. Moody

Report of Investigations--KGS

The St. Louis Limestone (Mississippian) of south-central Kentucky consists of two major lithologic units that herein are named, in ascending order, the Bronston Member and Burnside Member. Two other lithologic units occurring in the St. Louis Limestone and in correlative rocks of the Slade Formation (Mississippian), which extends from south-central into northeastern Kentucky, herein are named the Ringgold Bed and Big Sinking Bed.

The principal part of the St. Louis Member of the Slade Formation, which consists of Burnside lithologies, herein is renamed the Burnside Member of the Slade. This renaming addresses the problem associated with the previous use of …

Hydrogeologic Conditions Around Deep Aeration Lagoons At The Bardstown Wastewater Treatment Plant, David R. Wunsch, Gregory L. Secrist, Lyle V.A. Sendlein

Report of Investigations--KGS

The hydrogeologic conditions around the Bardstown Sewage Treatment Plant were studied from August 1996 through December 1997. Hydraulic and geochemical data were collected from eight monitoring wells and four surface-water monitoring sites on the plant property.

There is a large hydraulic gradient between the lagoons at the plant and the surrounding stream, Town Creek. Initial water-level measurements in wells surrounding the site suggest no major leakage from the lagoons, however. Neither flowing artesian conditions nor unusually high water levels were observed in any of the wells. Water-level measurements collected by data loggers showed that shallow wells responded quickly to recharge, …

Generalized Block Diagram Of The Western Pennyroyal Karst, James C. Currens

Map and Chart--KGS

Karst occurs where limestone or other soluble bedrock is near the earth's surface, and fractures in the rock become enlarged when the rock dissolves. Sinkholes and sinking streams are two surface features that indicate karst development. In karst areas most rainfall sinks underground, resulting in fewer streams flowing on the surface than in non-karst settings. Instead of flowing on the surface, the water flows underground through caves, sometimes reemerging at karst windows, then sinks again to eventually discharge at a base-level spring along a major stream or at the top of an impermeable strata. The development of karst features is …

Generalized Block Diagram Of The Eastern Pennyroyal Karst, James C. Currens

Map and Chart--KGS

Karst occurs where limestone or other soluble bedrock is near the earth's surface, and fractures in the rock become enlarged when the rock dissolves. Sinkholes and sinking streams are two surface features that indicate karst development. In karst areas most rainfall sinks underground, resulting in fewer streams flowing on the surface than in non-caves, sometimes reemerging at karst windows, then sinks again to eventually discharge at a base-level spring along a major stream or at the top of an impermeable strata. The development of karst features is influenced by the type of soluble rock and how it has been broken …

Karst Occurrence In Kentucky, Randall L. Paylor, James C. Currens

Map and Chart--KGS

This map was compiled from a digital version of the 1:500,000-scale geologic map of Kentucky (Noger, M.C., comp., 1988, Geologic map of Kentucky: U.S. Geological Survey). The areas of potential karst development were delineated using stratigraphic units mapped on the geological map. The classification of the potential for karst development was based on the field experience of the authors and other data. A number of isolate carbonated unites that would not have otherwise been differentiated on the geologic map were newly digitized for this map.

Generalized Block Diagram Of The Pine Mountain Karst, James C. Currens

Map and Chart--KGS

Karst occurs where limestone or other soluble bedrock is near the earth's surface, and fractures in the rock become enlarged when the rock dissolves. Sinkholes and sinking streams are two surface features that indicate karst development. In karst areas most rainfall sinks underground, resulting in fewer streams flowing on the surface than in non-karst settings. Instead of flowing on the surface, the water flows underground through caves to eventually discharge at a base-level spring along a major stream or at the top of an impermeable strata. The development of karst features is influenced by the type of soluble rock and …

Geologic Map Of Kentucky, M. C. Noger

Map and Chart--KGS

No abstract provided.

Illustrated Physiographic Diagram Of Kentucky, Kentucky Geological Survey

Map and Chart--KGS

No abstract provided.

Mineral And Fuel Resources Map Of Kentucky, Warren H. Anderson, Garland R. Dever Jr.

Map and Chart--KGS

The production of minerals and fuels in Kentucky is a multibillion dollar industry. Historically, coal, oil, natural gas, limestone, sand and gravel, clay, fluorite, barite, lead, iron, phosphate, zinc, and brines have been produced in the state. These resources have greatly influenced the development of Kentucky by providing raw materials for the early settlers who settled the state and for current industrial and economic development. Electrical power for homes, businesses, and factories; materials for constructing houses, buildings, automobiles, and roads; and products we consume in everyday life come from the earth's mineral and fuel resources.

The ability to locate and …

Generalized Block Diagram Of The Inner Bluegrass Karst, James C. Currens

Map and Chart--KGS

Karst occurs where limestone or other soluble bedrock is near the earth's surface, and fractures in the rock become enlarged when the rock dissolves. Sinkholes and sinking streams are two surface features that indicate karst development. In karst areas most rainfall sinks underground, resulting in fewer streams flowing on the surface than in non-karst settings. Instead of flowing on the surface, the water flows underground through caves, sometimes reemerging at karst windows, then sinks again to eventually discharge at a base-level spring along a major stream or at the top of an impermeable strata. The development of karst features is …

Physiographic Diagram Of Kentucky, Kentucky Geological Survey

Map and Chart--KGS

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Longwall Mining On Hydrology, Leslie County, Kentucky Part 2: During-Mining Conditions, Shelley Minns Hutcheson, James A. Kipp, James S. Dinger, Lyle V.A. Sendlein, Daniel I. Carey, Gregory L. Secrist

Report of Investigations--KGS

The effects of longwall coal mining on hydrology in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field are being investigated. The study area is in the Edd Fork watershed in southern Leslie County, over Shamrock Coal Company's Beech Fork Mine. Longwall panels approximately 700 ft wide are separated by three-entry gateways that are approximately 200 ft wide. The mine is operated in the Fire Clay (Hazard No. 4) coal; overburden thickness ranges from 300 to 800 ft. Mining began in panel 1 in September 1991 and concluded with panel 8 in September 1994. Long-term monitoring consisting of a network of piezometers and time-domain …

Coal Resources Of The Lower Elkhorn Coal Bed In Eastern Kentucky, Ernest E. Thacker, Gerald A. Weisenfluh, William M. Andrews Jr., John K. Hiett

Map and Chart--KGS

This chart is one of a series that shows the regional characteristics of the Lower Elkhorn coal. The maps were prepared as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's Natural Coal Assessment Program, which compiles regional maps and databases that provide a comprehensive assessment of the most important coal beds in the nation. The Lower Elkhorn coal is one of the leading producers in the state of Kentucky and has, in some areas, a reputation as an excellent metallurgical-grade coal. It is known locally as the Pond Creek, Imboden, Path Fork, Blue Gem, Straight Creek, Bruin or Vires coal bed. This …

Quality Characteristics Of The Springfield Coal In Western Kentucky, Cortland F. Eble

Map and Chart--KGS

Thickness and quality data from the Kentucky Coal Resources Information System (KCRIS) for the Springfield coal bed are summarized in this chart. Parameter averages and range of values are presented in the two tables, and average values are displayed graphically by county.

Geologic Map Of Kentucky, Garland R. Dever Jr., M. C. Noger

Map and Chart--KGS

This map shows the geologic age of rocks and sediments at the surface in Kentucky. Sedimentary rocks, deposited from about 465 to 290 million years ago during the Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian Periods, crop out across the state. The rocks mainly consist of shale, limestone, sandstone, and siltstone. As shown in the cross sections, these surface rocks are underlain by older unexposed rocks of Precambrian, Cambrian, and Ordovician age.

Small bodies of igneous rocks were intruded into the state's bedrock about 270 million years ago during the Permian Period. They crop out in Elliott County of northeastern Kentucky, …

Generalized Geologic Bedrock Conditions As Related To Solid-Waste Landfills In Kentucky, Martin C. Noger

Map and Chart--KGS

This map is not intended to be used for selecting individual landfill sites. Its purpose is to inform land-use planners, government officials, and the public in a general way about geologic bedrock conditions throughout the state that affect the selection of solid-waste disposal sites.

Effects Of Longwall Mining On Hydrogeology, Leslie County, Kentucky Part 3: Post-Mining Conditions, Shelley Minns Hutcheson, James A. Kipp, James S. Dinger, Daniel I. Carey, Lyle V.A. Sendlein, Gregory L. Secrist

Report of Investigations--KGS

The effects of longwall coal mining on hydrology in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field have been investigated since 1991. The study area is in the Edd Fork watershed in southern Leslie County, over Shamrock Coal Company's Beech Fork Mine. Longwall panels approximately 700 ft wide are separated by three-entry gateways that are approximately 200 ft wide. The mine is operated in the Fire Clay (Hazard No. 4) coal; overburden thickness ranges from 300 to 800 ft. Mining began in panel 1 in September 1991 and concluded with panel 8 in September 1994. Long-term monitoring consisting of a network of piezometers …

The Effect Of Turfgrass Maintenance On Surface-Water Quality In A Suburban Watershed, Inner Blue Grass, Kentucky, R. Michael Williams, James S. Dinger, Andrew J. Powell, Dwayne R. Edwards

Report of Investigations--KGS

Nutrients and pesticides applied during routine maintenance or establishment of turfgrass could result in nonpoint-source pollution. Nutrient and pesticide concentrations in water exiting a turfgrass management area in the Sinking Creek watershed, a suburban watershed in the Inner Blue Grass Region of central Kentucky, were monitored. This watershed was selected because it contains multiple land uses: agricultural, residential, and recreational (golf course).

A survey was conducted to determine the extent to which lawn-care products are used in the residential sector of the watershed. For the golf-course portion, the golf-course superintendent recorded chemical application daily.

Runoff from the golf course was …

Tectonic Implications Of Erosional And Depositional Features In Upper Meramecian And Lower Chesterian (Mississippian) Rocks Of South-Central And East-Central Kentucky, Garland R. Dever Jr.

Bulletin--KGS

Erosional and depositional features in upper Meramecian and lower Chesterian (Mississippian) carbonate rocks of south-central and east-central Kentucky suggest the influence of coeval structural activity. The study area, which extends from Pulaski County northeastward into Powell County, is underlain by (1) the Greenwood Anomaly, a large north-trending gravity anomaly, which probably represents part of a Precambrian rift system, and (2) the western part of the Rome Trough, an east-trending graben-like structure, which represents a Late Precambrian to Cambrian continental rift zone. The study focused on the St. Louis Limestone and lower Monteagle Limestone of south-central Kentucky and correlative carbonate rocks …

Cambrian And Deeper Tests Of Kentucky, 1999 Includes Proposed Tests (Permitted Locations), Brandon C. Nuttall

Map and Chart--KGS

No abstract provided.

Mass Flux Of Agricultural Nonpoint-Source Pollutants In A Conduit-Flow-Dominated Karst Aquifer, Logan County, Kentucky, James C. Currens

Report of Investigations--KGS

Changes in water quality in a karst ground-water basin used intensively for agriculture are being measured before, during, and after the implementation of best management practices (BMP’s) and other management practices, to determine the success of such programs in protecting ground water. The study was divided into three phases. The results of the first two phases are included in this report and cover research conducted between August 1990 and October 1994. During phase I of the study the overall ground-water quality of the basin and its hydrogeology were investigated. Phase II began monitoring the water quality at Pleasant Grove Spring …

Ground-Water Quality In Kentucky: Fluoride, Philip G. Conrad, Daniel I. Carey, James S. Webb, James S. Dinger, R. Stephen Fisher, Matthew J. Mccourt

Information Circular--KGS

Fluoride (F-) is an ion of the element fluorine, and is a natural component in most water resources. According to Hem (1989), fluoride concentrations in fresh water are generally less than 1 mg/L (milligrams per liter), and the concentration of fluoride in the world's oceans is about 1.3 mg/L. The source of most fluoride in natural fresh-water resources is various rocks and minerals in bedrock and sediments.

Kentucky's Coal Industry: Historical Trends And Future Opportunities, Gerald A. Weisenfluh, James C. Cobb, John C. Ferm, Carol L. Ruthven

Information Circular--KGS

Coal has been produced in Kentucky since the late 18th century. In the early years, all mining was by underground methods, but surface mining became the dominant method during and after World War II. In recent years, surface-mine production in both fields has decreased while underground mining has increased.

In the last half of this century, the traditional steam coal market for locomotives has virtually disappeared, leaving electric power generation and coking coal for the steel industry as the principal markets. More than half of all coal produced in the State has been produced in the last 25 years. Whether …

Spatial And Temporal Variability In Seepage Between A Contaminated Aquifer And Tributaries To The Ohio River, Alan E. Fryar, David L. Brown, David B. Wenner, Todd C. Rasmussen, Eric J. Wallin

KWRRI Research Reports

Because interactions between ground water and tributaries may influence contaminant loading to rivers, we delineated seepage along Little Bayou and Bayou Creeks in McCracken County, Kentucky, during a two-year period. From the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, on the divide between the creeks, trichloroethene and technetium-99 plumes extend several km toward the Ohio River. Gaining conditions occur where the creeks are incised into coarse sediments in the river's flood plain. Such conditions were marked by upward hydraulic gradients within the bed; maximum specific discharge (q) > 0.24 m d^-1; relatively narrow ranges of stream, piezometer, and bed temperatures; relatively cool …

Mineral And Fuel Resources Map Of Kentucky, Warren H. Anderson, Garland R. Dever Jr.

Map and Chart--KGS

The production of minerals and fuels in Kentucky is a multibillion dollar industry. Historically, coal, oil, natural gas, limestone, sand and gravel, clay, fluorite, barite, lead, iron, phosphate, zinc, and brines have been produced in the State. These resources have greatly influenced the development of Kentucky by providing raw materials for the early settlers who settled the State and for current industrial and economic development. Electrical power for homes, businesses, and factories; materials for constructing houses, buildings, automobiles, and roads; and products we consume in everyday life come from the earth's mineral and fuel resources.