T184 Enhancing the Toolkit for Karst Investigations
Tuesday, 21 October 2014
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
208/209
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE KARST: CLUES FOR STRUCTURAL CONTROL ON KARST DEVELOPMENT IN FLORIDA
Paper number: T184-7
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:30 AM – 9:45 AM
Authors
Abstract
Extensive dissolution of the Florida carbonate platform displays not only some of the best examples of surficial karst development such as dolines, uvalas, poljes, sinking streams, but also a complicated network of caves. This study aims to explore the connection between surficial and subsurface karst development and the extent of structural control in an eogenetic karst aquifer. A large set of spatial data was studied in a GIS environment for this purpose. Data include some 25,000 kartic depressions, passage centerlines for 22 caves, fracture systems, and photolineaments. Spatial distribution and orientation of these features suggest a wide range of cave development, from strongly fracture-controlled network-like caves to anastomoses and rudimentary branchworks developed within the matrix porosity, with various degrees of connection to surficial karst development. Structural control is readily observed especially on fracture-dominated caves and depressions around them.