23 Karst Processes and Speleology (Posters)

Tuesday, 26 March 2019
8:30 AM - 5:45 PM
Big Basin/Kaw Nation Rooms

FLOOD BANK ANALYSIS OF CAVE SEDIMENT IN RUSSELL AND MONTAGUE CAVES IN NORTHEASTERN ALABAMA

Paper number: 23-6
Program: Theme Sessions
Time: 8:30 AM – 5:45 PM

Authors

Abstract

This study seeks to understand how sediment deposits in cave passages influence a karst system as well as interpret the paleoclimate of the region. Russell Cave and Montague Cave are characterized as typical hydrological fluviokarst. The caves are located in Northeast Alabama at the base of the Cumberland Plateau in Doran Cove. The research objectives are to identify sediment distribution, depositional conditions, and determining the rate of sediment accumulation within the cave. Three sediment cores were obtained in various locations of Russell Cave and one core obtained from Montague Cave for sediment analysis. These cores were inventoried from the sediment flood banks along the stream channels and outlined in a cave profile. The methods to accomplish the study involve: grain-size analysis, loss on ignition (LOI), carbon-14 dating, and magnetic susceptibility. At this time, results from sediment grain size can be used to understand depositional energy of the particles and show peaks of coarse particles (sands), which are possibility associated with large scale past flood events.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 51, No. 2

doi: 10.1130/abs/2019SC-327446

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