Inventory of karst subsidence in the Valley and Ridge Province of East Tennessee

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:7012883

Ketelle, R H; Newton, J G

The first regional inventory of karst activity in the Valley and Ridge Province of East Tennessee was performed as a part of ongoing studies at Oak Ridge National Laboratory pertaining to environmental impact assessment of waste disposal in karst settings. More than half the land area in the Valley and Ridge Province of East Tennessee is underlain by karst-prone carbonate bedrock. The regional karst inventory was initiated to obtain current information on the extent of active karst subsidence in the region for use in decision making by the Department of Energy in planning future waste disposal facilities at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The inventory was performed by contacting personnel of federal, state, and county agencies to obtain reports of known active karst subsidence within the region. Data from these interviews were tabulated resulting in identificaton of more than 250 karst subsidence incidents in East Tennessee, most of which have occurred since 1980. Although the infomation obtained was largely anecdotal, approximate location, date, size, and circumstances under which the collapses occurred were recorded for as many cases as could be documented. The study also included detailed reconnaissance of selected areas similar in geology and hydrology to a study area at Oak Ridge, Tennessee to identify causative factors which contribute to karst subsidence in the region and for comparison of the occurrence of visible karst features at different sites. Human activities affecting site hydrology such as large scale land clearing and earthmoving projects were related to most of the subsidence incidents inventoried.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA); LaMoreaux (P.E.) and Associates, Inc., Tuscaloosa, AL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 7012883
• Report Number(s): CONF-870238-1; ON: DE87002812
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
CARBONATE ROCKS
FEDERAL REGION IV
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GROUND SUBSIDENCE
INVENTORIES
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
TENNESSEE
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES