265 New Frontiers in Cave and Karst Science (Posters)

We encourage submissions in any field of cave and karst science, with special emphasis on novel techniques, interdisciplinary approaches, and contributions from diverse early career researchers (students, postdocs, and faculty).

Wednesday, 22 October 2025
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
HBGCC, Hall 1

Landscape Evolution in Western Fort Cavazos Military Installation, Coryell County, Texas

Paper number: 265-2
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 8:00 AM

Authors

Abstract

The Fort Cavazos Military Installation is a karst landscape located in Central Texas, along the northern boundary of the Edwards Plateau and Lampasas Cut Plain physiographic regions. The western section of the installation has been significantly altered for military training exercises including heavy vehicle maneuvers and simulated combat. The training area hosts karst features that are environmentally and structurally sensitive to military activities, primarily sinks, pits, and caves. Previous speleological studies in this area have understated the amount and spatial distribution of karst, particularly in western Fort Hood. 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.

Recent karst research in western Fort Cavazos has included 0.5-meter Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) surveys and field traverses to identify surficial karst features, and electrical resistivity to characterize the subsurface extent of known karst phenomena. LiDAR data show potential sinks distributed across positive relief features in clusters with their morphology supporting a duality of dissolution and collapse origins. Field verified features from a random point survey and a remote verification survey of features was conducted; utilizing updated buffering mechanisms and filters improved overall depression characterization and yielded an overall accuracy of 84.1%. Electrical resistivity surveys provided insight into significant inaccessible subsurface karst features, previously unknown to range managers. These data will be utilized by the Fort Cavazos Natural Resources Management Branch to create karst management plans in training areas to support military readiness and protect environmentally sensitive habitats.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-414153

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