Karst development in central Butler County, Kansas

Conference · Mon Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:5977660

Bain, B A

Research was conducted to study the geology and hydrology of sinkholes, springs, and caves formed in Lower Permian, Fort Riley Limestone, located in central Butler County, Kansas. The goal was to better understand the controlling factors of these karst features and the processes that produce them in a portion of Kansas that is undergoing rapid population growth and increased groundwater usage. Research was accomplished in seven phases: literature search, locating karst features, measuring bedrock fracture joint trends, surveying major caves, estimating discharge of springs, dye tracing, and water chemistry analysis. Recognizable karst landforms within the study area were plotted onto a base map to demonstrate their geographic, geologic, and hydrologic relationships. Karst features identified were 125 sinkholes, a major cave system composed of at least three enterable cave segments, and one large spring. The karst terrain found within the study area is clearly a system of interrelated features and processes. Long-term solution of the bedrock allows karst features to form, joints and bedding planes to enlarge, and creates an efficient network of subsurface drainage. Factors that control karst development in the study area are lithology, thickness, and dip of the bedrock; presence of well defined joints and bedding planes; relatively level topography; nearby entrenched river valleys; lack of thick surficial cover; and climate. Of these influences, solutional activity at joints plays a major role in the formation of sinkholes and cave passages; however, a complex combination of all the controlling factors is responsible for the present, unique, and dynamic karst system.

• OSTI ID: 5977660
• Report Number(s): CONF-9303212--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States) Journal Volume: 25:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
580000* -- Geosciences
CARBONATE ROCKS
CAVES
CAVITIES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC FISSURES
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROLOGY
KANSAS
LIMESTONE
MAPPING
NORTH AMERICA
ORIGIN
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PALEOZOIC ERA
PERMIAN PERIOD
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
USA
WATER