Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 114 p. : ill., maps (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 94-97).

Thesis--Neuchâtel. / Summary in English. Includes bibliographical references (p. [300]-313).

Thesis (M.A.)-- Florida State University, 2006. / Advisor: Joseph F. Donoghue, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Geological Sciences. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Jan. 2, 2007). Document formatted into pages; contains x, 103 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

[by] J. N. Jennings. / Bibliography: p. 229-241.

Th. 3e cycle--Matières prem. minérales et énerg.--Nancy--I.N.P.L., 1983.

As karst features are buried into the deep subsurface and isolated from the mechanisms that formed them, they turn into paleokarst. Some karst features, such as hypogene and island karst, have a higher probability of being preserved into the deep subsurface, as opposed to epigene karst. As these features transition from modern karst to paleokarst, they are susceptible to collapse. When an individual passage or room collapses, it results in an increase in the void’s areal and volumetric footprint. In addition, individual passages and rooms have the potential to collapse and coalesce into each other, further increasing the cave footprint. The end result is often a large zone of brecciated collapse. While the porosity has decreased, the collapse process integrates the permeability over a much larger area, which is the reason these collapsed paleokarst features form an important class of hydrocarbon reservoirs, paleokarst reservoirs.

No description available.

Karstic cave systems are intricately related to surficial processes and the study of cave sediments is a growing field of research. Sediment deposits in caves are protected from surficial weathering processes, and are therefore often preserved. Cave sediments have applications in studies for paleoclimatic reconstruction, contaminant transport, and paleoflood and stream incision rates, making them valuable contributors to other areas of geoscience. Hidden River Cave is an active, multi-level cave system in the town of Horse Cave, Kentucky with over 33 km of mapped passages. A history of anthropogenic impacts on the cave system include uses for hydroelectric power generation, a water source, and a show cave until it closed in 1943 due to severe contamination from domestic and industrial waste. This study reports on the analysis of sediment cores collected from the cave system which show distinct concentrations of metals within the sediment from chrome plating plant effluent. Relative concentrations of metals in the core record were obtained using an ITRAX core scanner, and were observed to decrease moving downstream from the chrome plating plant contamination source. Sediment core analysis allows depositional patterns in the cave system to be observed and related to historic surficial processes. The chronology of sedimentation events was determined using Pb-210 analysis of core sediment and indicates a strong connection between historical contaminating events in the town of Horse Cave and cave sediment deposition. Sediment core analysis has thus allowed depositional patterns in the cave system to be determined and related to historic surficial processes. These findings can be applied to enhance understanding of the combined effects of landscape evolution and anthropogenic impacts which may be used to inform decision making processes for communities overlying both Hidden River Cave and other karstic cave systems. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Current karst hazard maps in Kentucky reflect the general lithology of the state and ignore or significantly reduce the impact of the actual sinkholes present within these areas. These maps rely on equal weighting, by area, of the Karst Potential Index (KPI) map and the sinkhole inventory map. The KPI is based on a 1:500,000 geologic map and less than 500 data points of carbonate rocks. The sinkhole inventory is derived from topographic maps updated in the 1970s with approximately 10-foot resolution. This method gives a preferential weighting of the KPI over the sinkhole data. Consequently, the current method is broad in scope and ineffective in hazard assessment. There is a need for a reliable karst hazard map for land use planners, government emergency planning agencies, and other stakeholders. In this study, more detailed geology information and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data are applied to three counties (Bullitt, Logan, and Woodford) to generate a more accurate assessment of karst hazard. An assessment method based on sinkhole density is also tested. By refining the hazard score to more precise areas of concern, future stakeholders will find this data useful in emergency planning and land assessment.

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 flow route may explain differences in relative water parameter data and response to rainfall events. An assumption was made that the WW site has continuous water to rock contact and the FF site does not. Specific conductance (SpC) data consistently suggest that the water apparently does indeed have a greater degree of water to rock contact when compared to the FF site as the pH and SpC values for the site always revealed a higher concurrent reading. These data suggest that while waters may be located within meters of each other in this karst environment the physical properties of water at each site can vary widely.