Understanding Aquifers: Demonstration Using a Physical Model
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Introduction to Virginia's Karst
Introduction to Virginia’s Karst A presentation of The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Karst Program & Project Underground Karst - A landscape developed in limestone, dolomite, marble, or other soluble rocks and characterized by subsurface drainage systems, sinking or losing streams, sinkholes, springs, and caves. Cross-section diagram by David Culver, American University. Karst topography covers much of the Valley and Ridge Province in the western third of the state. Aerial photo of karst landscape in Russell County. Smaller karst areas also occur in the Cumberland Plateau, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain provinces. At least 29 counties support karst terrane in western Virginia. In western Virginia, karst occurs along slopes and in valleys between mountain ridges. There are few surface streams in these limestone valleys as runoff from mountain slopes disappears into the subsurface upon contact with the karst bedrock. Water flows underground, emerging at springs on the valley floor. Thin soils over fractured, cavernous limestone allow precipitation to enter the subsurface directly and rapidly, with a minimal amount of natural filtration. The purer the limestone, the less soil develops on the bedrock, leaving bare pinnacles exposed at the ground surface. Rock pinnacles may also occur where land use practices result in massive soil loss. Precipitation mixing with carbon dioxide becomes acidic as it passes through soil. Through geologic time slightly acidic water dissolves and enlarges the bedrock fractures, forming caves and other voids in the bedrock. Water follows the path of least resistance, so it moves through voids in rock layers, fractures, and boundaries between soluble and insoluble bedrock. -
Living with Karst Booklet and Poster
Publishing Partners AGI gratefully acknowledges the following organizations’ support for the Living with Karst booklet and poster. To order, contact AGI at www.agiweb.org or (703) 379-2480. National Speleological Society (with support from the National Speleological Foundation and the Richmond Area Speleological Society) American Cave Conservation Association (with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and a Section 319(h) Nonpoint Source Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Kentucky Division of Water) Illinois Basin Consortium (Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky State Geological Surveys) National Park Service U.S. Bureau of Land Management USDA Forest Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Geological Survey AGI Environmental Awareness Series, 4 A Fragile Foundation George Veni Harvey DuChene With a Foreword by Nicholas C. Crawford Philip E. LaMoreaux Christopher G. Groves George N. Huppert Ernst H. Kastning Rick Olson Betty J. Wheeler American Geological Institute in cooperation with National Speleological Society and American Cave Conservation Association, Illinois Basin Consortium National Park Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey ABOUT THE AUTHORS George Veni is a hydrogeologist and the owner of George Veni and Associates in San Antonio, TX. He has studied karst internationally for 25 years, serves as an adjunct professor at The University of Ernst H. Kastning is a professor of geology at Texas and Western Kentucky University, and chairs Radford University in Radford, VA. As a hydrogeolo- the Texas Speleological Survey and the National gist and geomorphologist, he has been actively Speleological Society’s Section of Cave Geology studying karst processes and cavern development for and Geography over 30 years in geographically diverse settings with an emphasis on structural control of groundwater Harvey R. -
Lascaux Cave, France Complex Hunter Gatherers at the End of the Paleolithic Dates: 47/45,000 – 20/18,000 B.P
Lascaux Cave, France Complex Hunter Gatherers at the End of the Paleolithic Dates: 47/45,000 – 20/18,000 b.p. (Epipaleolithic=20/18,000-10,000 bp) Industries include microliths and bone tools—not found in previous periods Raw materials were exchanged over long distances in this period Wide range of materials, other than flint, come into use: bone tools, stone vessels, ochre, shells Some probably for ritual purposes In contrast to early modern humans (and Neanderthals): Size of teeth reduced Size of jaw reduced Muscularity diminishes Less skeletal trauma Increased longevity Cro-Magnon cranium Upper Paleolithic Artwork Cave Art Includes spectacular images of animals and abstract forms and, rarely, humans Mobiliary Art These portable art objects include Venus figurines Body Ornamentation: Pierced shells, pierced animal teeth, and bone beads were most likely work as necklaces or attached to clothing Horse, Cosquer Cave, France Penquin or Auk, Cosquer Cave, France Bear Bison ‘Venus’ figurines Dolni Vestonice Lespugue Willendorf . Appear around 25,000 bp, Europe . Carved in ivory, wood, stone, modeled in clay . Breasts, hips, buttocks, thighs, usually large . Head, arms, hands, legs & feet are only schematic . Some are pregnant, others are not 4.48.jpg Dwellings Huts with bone frameworks Floors with inlaid stone Stone-lined pits for hearths Tailored clothing Long-distance trade Blade technique Long, parallel-sided flakes are struck off the edges of a specially prepared core Blades: long flake, twice as punch long as wide • Sharp parallel edges • Removed from core like peeling carrot (sort of) • Blades provide “blank” or form, which may then be shaped into different tools: . -
Build an Aquifer
“It All Flows to Me” Lesson 1: Build an Aquifer Objective: To learn about groundwater properties by building your own aquifer and conducting experiments. Background Information Materials: • One, 2 Litter Soda Bottle An aquifer is basically a storage container for groundwater that is made up of • Plastic Cup different sediments. These various sediments can store different amounts of • 1 Cup of each: groundwater within the aquifer. The amount of water that it can hold is depen- soil, gravel, 1” rocks, sand dent on the porosity and the permeability of the sediment. • Pin • Modeling Clay Porosity is the amount of water that a material can hold in the spaces be- • Water tween its pores, while permeability is the material’s ability to pass water • Labels • 1 Bottle of Food Coloring through these pores. Therefore, an aquifer that has high permeability, like • 1 Pair of Scissors sandstone, will be able to hold more water, than materials that have a lower • 1 Ruler porosity and permeability. • One 8 Ounce Cup Directions You will build your own aquifers and investigate which sediments hold more water (rocks or sand). Students in your class will use either sand or rocks to food coloring food coloring build their models. You will use a ruler to measure the height of your water soil table and compare it to the height of water in other sediments. 8oz.food coloring soil ruler 8oz. ruler measuring cup sand measuring cup soil sand pin 8oz. rulerpin gravel scissors Building Directions food coloring measuring cup sandgravel scissors pin 1. Take a pin and use it to make many holes in the bot- scissors 2-liter soilplastic cup gravel tom of a cup. -
Karst Development Mechanism and Characteristics Based on Comprehensive Exploration Along Jinan Metro, China
sustainability Article Karst Development Mechanism and Characteristics Based on Comprehensive Exploration along Jinan Metro, China Shangqu Sun 1,2, Liping Li 1,2,*, Jing Wang 1,2, Shaoshuai Shi 1,2 , Shuguang Song 3, Zhongdong Fang 1,2, Xingzhi Ba 1,2 and Hao Jin 1,2 1 Research Center of Geotechnical and Structural Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China; [email protected] (S.Sun); [email protected] (J.W.); [email protected] (S.Shi); [email protected] (Z.F.); [email protected] (X.B.); [email protected] (H.J.) 2 School of Qilu Transportation, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China 3 School of Transportation Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, China; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 28 August 2018; Accepted: 19 September 2018; Published: 21 September 2018 Abstract: Jinan is the capital of Shandong Province and is famous for its spring water. Water conservation has become the consensus of Jinan citizens and the government and the community. The construction of metro engineering in Jinan has lagged behind other cities of the same scale for a long time. The key issue is the protection of spring water. When metro lines are constructed in Jinan karst area, the water-inrushing, quicksand, and piping hazards can easily occur, which can change the groundwater seepage environment and reduce spring discharge. Therefore, we try to reveal the development conditions, mechanism, and mode of karst area in Jinan. In addition, we propose the comprehensive optimizing method of “shallow-deep” and “region-target” suitable for exploration of karst areas along Jinan metro, and systematically study the development characteristics of the karst areas along Jinan metro, thus providing the basis for the shield tunnel to go through karst areas safely and protecting the springs in Jinan. -
Farming the Ogallala Aquifer: Short and Long-Run Impacts of Groundwater Access
Farming the Ogallala Aquifer: Short and Long-run Impacts of Groundwater Access Richard Hornbeck Harvard University and NBER Pinar Keskin Wesleyan University September 2010 Preliminary and Incomplete Abstract Following World War II, central pivot irrigation technology and decreased pumping costs made groundwater from the Ogallala aquifer available for large-scale irrigated agricultural production on the Great Plains. Comparing counties over the Ogallala with nearby similar counties, empirical estimates quantify the short-run and long-run impacts on irrigation, crop choice, and other agricultural adjustments. From the 1950 to the 1978, irrigation increased and agricultural production adjusted toward water- intensive crops with some delay. Estimated differences in land values capitalize the Ogallala's value at $10 billion in 1950, $29 billion in 1974, and $12 billion in 2002 (CPI-adjusted 2002 dollars). The Ogallala is becoming exhausted in some areas, with potential large returns from changing its current tax treatment. The Ogallala case pro- vides a stark example for other water-scarce settings in which such long-run historical perspective is unavailable. Water scarcity is a critical issue in many areas of the world.1 Water is becoming increas- ingly scarce as the demand for water increases and groundwater sources are exhausted. In some areas, climate change is expected to reduce rainfall and increase dependence on ground- water irrigation. The impacts of water shortages are often exacerbated by the unequal or inefficient allocation of water. The economic value of water for agricultural production is an important component in un- derstanding the optimal management of scarce water resources. Further, as the availability of water changes, little is known about the speed and magnitude of agricultural adjustment. -
Hang Son Doong,Vietnam by Sarah Collinge
Hang Son Doong,Vietnam By Sarah Collinge Have you ever explored a cave? A cave is an underground chamber in a hillside or clif that has been formed over time by rainwater, ocean waves, lava, or oil-eating bacteria. Places where the earth is made up of large amounts of limestone are known for having many caves. Limestone is made from the remains of shells and skeletons of sea creatures. Tis sedimentary rock is easily dissolved by slightly acidic water. Where limestone dissolves, an underground chamber forms. No one knows how many caves there are on Earth, probably millions. Many natural caves re- main undiscovered. Te largest known cave in the world is Hang Son Doong, located in the country of Vietnam. Tis cave was frst discovered 20 years ago and is more than 2.5 miles long. Its widest chambers are 300 feet wide and over 600 feet high—big enough to easily hold an entire New York City block of skyscrapers. A very large “room” in one section of the cave is equal to the size of the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Te name Hang Son Doong means Mountain River Cave. Te cave was originally discovered by a local man who heard a whistling sound made by an underground river. Flowing through the cave is a fast-fowing, subterranean river, the Rao Tuong River. During the fooding season, the river can rise close to 300 feet. References: Groleau, R. (October 1, 2002). How caves form. Retrieved June 23, 2012, from http://www.pbs.org/ wgbh/nova/earth/how-caves-form.html. -
Hydrogeologic Characterization and Methods Used in the Investigation of Karst Hydrology
Hydrogeologic Characterization and Methods Used in the Investigation of Karst Hydrology By Charles J. Taylor and Earl A. Greene Chapter 3 of Field Techniques for Estimating Water Fluxes Between Surface Water and Ground Water Edited by Donald O. Rosenberry and James W. LaBaugh Techniques and Methods 4–D2 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Contents Introduction...................................................................................................................................................75 Hydrogeologic Characteristics of Karst ..........................................................................................77 Conduits and Springs .........................................................................................................................77 Karst Recharge....................................................................................................................................80 Karst Drainage Basins .......................................................................................................................81 Hydrogeologic Characterization ...............................................................................................................82 Area of the Karst Drainage Basin ....................................................................................................82 Allogenic Recharge and Conduit Carrying Capacity ....................................................................83 Matrix and Fracture System Hydraulic Conductivity ....................................................................83 -
Download a Pdf of the Subterranean Renovations Publication
SUBTERRANEAN RENOVATIONS THE UNIQUE ARCHITECTURAL SPACES OF SHOW CAVES Under America’s surficial terrain, another landscape lurks, where built and natural forms blend to create unusual spaces, in some of the more compelling tourist caves in the United States. ike an elaborate stage for an audienceless performance, spectacular natural caves L formed and transformed over the ages in the unseen world of the underground. Typically evolving drop by drop, as the earth melted away with the natural dissolution of limestone, strange sculptural creations grew in hollow cracks and capacious chambers; white curtains of speleothems like frozen waterfalls and delicate dioramas of stalactites mutated in geologic slow motion. Shallow pools of still water would mirror seemingly limitless distances, were it not for the absence of light, and sounds would echo, oddly magnified, except for the near total silence. When modern humans came into this subterranean world, first as explorers, then as tour- ists, they brought with them both light and sound, as well as shovels, cement, electricity, postcards, and even fried chicken. From the first lantern-led tours through Mammoth Cave in the early 1800's to the drive-through caves of today, the two hundred or so caves in the country that have been opened to the public (out of over 30,000 caves discovered in the United States so far) have been transformed by the interests of tourism and the fancy of cave owners and promoters. Most modifications to the natural cave are of a practical nature, made in order to accom- modate visitors. New cave entrances are blasted to allow more convenient access, path- ways are installed to allow visitors to move easily along the otherwise uneven cave floor, and lighting of some type is installed to make the formations and pathways visible. -
The Influence of Karst Aquifer Mineralogy And
water Article The Influence of Karst Aquifer Mineralogy and Geochemistry on Groundwater Characteristics: West Bank, Palestine Hassan Jebreen 1,* , Andre Banning 1 , Stefan Wohnlich 1, Andrea Niedermayr 1, Marwan Ghanem 2 and Frank Wisotzky 1 1 Hydrogeology Department, Institute of Geology, Geophysics and Mineralogy, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany; [email protected] (A.B.); [email protected] (S.W.); [email protected] (A.N.); [email protected] (F.W.) 2 Department of Geography, Birzeit University, P.O. Box 14, Ramallah, Palestine; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +49-234-322-5387 Received: 31 October 2018; Accepted: 7 December 2018; Published: 11 December 2018 Abstract: This work reports, for the first time, the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of karst aquifers in the Central West Bank (CWB) catchment in Palestine. It provides an integrated study approach by correlating the geochemistry of the lithology and hydrochemical data of groundwater samples. Mineralogical analysis showed that all of the samples were dominantly composed of either calcite CaCO3 (5–100 wt. %) or dolomite CaMg(CO3)2 (4–100 wt. %), with minor amounts of quartz and feldspar, which is supported by the inorganic carbon content (9–13 wt. %) and hydrochemical composition of the spring water samples. The whole-rock geochemical data indicated that the samples have low contents of trace elements and transition metals. In contrast, the concentrations of alkaline earth elements (Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba) and Mn were high in the rock and groundwater samples. Generally, the trace elements of rock samples with concentrations >10 ppm included Sr (17–330 ppm), Mn (17–367 ppm), Ba (2–32 ppm), W (5–37 ppm), Cr (3–23 ppm), Zn (1.7–28 ppm), V (4–23 ppm), and Zr (1–22 ppm), while the concentrations of all the other trace elements was below 10 ppm. -
A Guide to Responsible Caving Published by the National Speleological Society a Guide to Responsible Caving
A Guide to Responsible Caving Published by The National Speleological Society A Guide to Responsible Caving National Speleological Society 2813 Cave Avenue Huntsville, AL 35810 256-852-1300 [email protected] www.caves.org Fourth Edition, 2009 Text: Cheryl Jones Design: Mike Dale/Switchback Design Printing: Raines This publication was made possible through a generous donation by Inner Mountain Outfitters. Copies of this Guide may be obtained through the National Speleological Society Web site. www.caves.org © Copyright 2009, National Speleological Society FOREWORD We explore caves for many reasons, but mainly for sport or scientific study. The sport caver has been known as a spelunker, but most cave explorers prefer to be called cavers. Speleology is the scientific study of the cave environment. One who studies caves and their environments is referred to as a speleologist. This publication deals primarily with caves and the sport of caving. Cave exploring is becoming increasingly popular in all areas of the world. The increase in visits into the underground world is having a detrimental effect on caves and relations with cave owners. There are many proper and safe caving methods. Included here is only an introduction to caves and caving, but one that will help you become a safe and responsible caver. Our common interests in caving, cave preservation and cave conservation are the primary reasons for the National Speleological Society. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced caver, we hope the guidelines in this booklet will be a useful tool for remembering the basics which are so essential to help preserve the cave environment, to strengthen cave owner relations with the caving community, and to make your visit to caves a safe and enjoyable one. -
Groundwater Movement and Soils
Lesson # 2: Groundwater Movement and Soils Through the activities below, students will learn how different types of soils and soil structure influence groundwater movement. Students will begin to understand how groundwater can become polluted. Activity # 1: “Sand, Gravel & Clay Soils & Groundwater Movement ” Teacher Preparation: Obtain 3 clear plastic containers or cut the tops off of clear plastic pop bottles. Fill one container with sand, the other with gravel and the final container with clay. Allow the students to feel each soil type and look at each container of soil. Have students discuss the differences they see between the 3 soils. Student Discussion Questions: 1. What do you notice about the size of the particles of sand, gravel & clay? Which has the largest particles? The smallest? 2. Ask students what is between the soil particles (spaces). Tell them that the “spaces” between the particles refers to the POROSITY of the soil. Which soil has the largest and smallest spaces? 3. Ask students which soil would allow water to move through the quickest and explain why. Tell them that the term used to describe the rate or speed at which water moves through the soil is called PERMEABILITY. Explain the relationship between porosity and permeability (larger or smaller spaces between the particles of soil results in a faster or slower movement of water through the soil). 4. If you were to construct a well into an aquifer, which of the 3 soils would you choose. Why? (Answer: Gravel. More water can be stored between the large pores and it would be easiest for a well to pump water from a gravel aquifer with large pore spacing.) 5.