Speleology Commons^™

On The Paleontology Of Belize, Alson Ovando

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Paleontology can be considered an underrepresented and emerging area of science in Belize. A primary aim of this thesis is to provide a background of paleontology in Belize and present the first comprehensive study of Quaternary vertebrate fossils known from the country. Quaternary fossil sites across Belize include caves, rivers, and sinkholes. In addition to reviewing and assessing material from known sites, this thesis presents new information and discoveries that were made while investigating Belize’s Quaternary fossil record. This thesis also includes a geospatial model depicting ecoregions in Belize during the last glacial maximum. Overall, the results presented here demonstrate …

Correlation Of Geochemical Zones In Great Onyx Cave, Mammoth Cave National Park, To Surficial Geological Units, William Strehl

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Cave passages in Great Onyx Cave, developed within the Girkin and Ste. Genevieve Limestones of Mammoth Cave National Park, contain a variety of secondary features on cave walls, including speleothems such as stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstone, evaporite minerals, and dissolution features such as pits and domes. What secondary features are present on the walls of a cave passage depends on the flow and geochemistry of capillary water that has interacted with the cave passage. In the Mammoth Cave aquifer, five distinct geochemical zones have been broadly defined and each typically contains a particular set of secondary features. Geochemical zonation in …

Characterization Of Surface Karst Using Lidar And Field Traverses, Fort Hood Military Installation, Coryell County, Texas, Heather Jaclyn Dailey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Fort Hood Military Installation is a karst landscape that has been significantly altered for training exercises that include heavy vehicle maneuvers and simulated combat. Traditional karst surveys are often time-consuming and require extensive field analyses to adequately characterize large areas. Bias is given to areas that are most easily accessible and false negatives are common. Previous studies conducted in the eastern and western portion of the base have understated the abundance and spatial distribution of karst, particularly in the western portion.

This study used field traverses and 0.5-meter Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data to characterize surface karst depressions, …