Lithologic Controls on Karst Groundwater Flow, Lost River Groundwater Basin, Warren County, Kentucky Christopher Groves Western Kentucky University
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Western Kentucky University TopSCHOLAR® Masters Theses & Specialist Projects Graduate School 1-1987 Lithologic Controls on Karst Groundwater Flow, Lost River Groundwater Basin, Warren County, Kentucky Christopher Groves Western Kentucky University Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses Part of the Geology Commons, Hydrology Commons, Sedimentology Commons, and the Stratigraphy Commons Recommended Citation Groves, Christopher, "Lithologic Controls on Karst Groundwater Flow, Lost River Groundwater Basin, Warren County, Kentucky" (1987). Masters Theses & Specialist Projects. Paper 1554. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1554 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses & Specialist Projects by an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1.1 rJlOLOGI . CO'\TI!OI.S 0\ KAII'I (;)101 '\1)1\ \ 11.11 1'1.01\ . LO~T RI\'EH GHOl\I)\\ ,\TEII IIA . I~ . \\AI!III COl '\1" . I\E.\rlCI\' i'r >t>nled to Th. Farult) of th. I).part" ... nt of G.ograph) And t;eolug) \\e tprn l\ nluck) t nhN~il) 110", (iug Gret.'ll. n.t'llluck ) In Partial Fulfillment of tho II quire", nt for th I)e~r .. uf Mast r of ~cif>nr JatHI;,U). 19K7 AUTHORIZATION FOR USE O F THESIS Perrnis.ion is hereby 'J:7i ~ranted to the Werle .... Kentucq University Library to ~ make, or aUow to be ...ade photocopies, rnicrofiln'a or other copies of thh the.l. for approprlat. research or .cholarly purpose •• reserved to the author for the ...a]dnl of any copi •• of thi. O thesb except for brief .ections for re.earch or s cholarlJ purposes. Date 7 P1ea.e place aD .. X'. lD the appropriate box. This form 'Will be filed with the origlDal of the thesis and will control future u.e of the the.h. L1T1 10LOCI 'O' T ROL:, 0 '\ KAR T GROl',\OWATER FLO \\ , LOST RIV ER C ROl',\OWATEH BA51'\, WARR E:-' Ol''\n', KE'\Tl'CKY Recommoodod _________December 28. 1986 _ (Dato) 72;,jL c. ~brd '(Director of Th.. is) , ~W, ~ \t' " \ ()\\ I ~: D( ;t \I~ . \ T~ \tan} propl.. ha\(> madt' contributions to Ihi~ \\ork. and it is It composite of l"('~r (>r(orh First. I 140uld li~p to thank nl) part'nus. Gordon and Jane GrOH"S, for lh .. ir ("un.,tanl "IUpport and pnC'our&gf'rut'nt of 111) academic fud 3\Or o\('r a period no\lo "'pannlllg rnall) ) rars. Thi projf'C"t rl"Ct"hrd rinanrial ... upport from the ('6\ Rf> ~arch Foundation, the Cradual .. ~Iudent Il. Sf>arrh Grant Cornmiltt' at \\ (,5t ro Kentuck) L' nhersity, anti thf> ('t'Flt r for Ca\f> and Karst Sludit's at \\('stern Kt'ntuck) l ' nl\Prsity. The gt>neraJ idt'A ~hind the re arch "Nt d .. \t~ lofWd mer St' \tral )ear durin, man) dis(,u ssions and field rambling v.hh m) thesis ad,isor, Dr. "'ie hol rawford. lie has gr(,311) encouraged my inter~t in the gwlogical end of th research efrorts of thf:> nter for ave and Karst tudi~s. and it is primaril) Dr. ra'4ford that haq· 10 thank for '4halt\u kill as a sc:ientist that I ha\'e d~\f'lo~. I ha\f' also It>arned much about the sinkhole plain from discu ions '4 ith my f".nd Dr. Ron Oil"mart... Looking back no"'. it m. thAt much of th. ,..,mor. pholog) (particularly of th. Ponn)ro)al) that I know cam. not ... much from th. eI sroom &5 from lengthy discu ions. and perhaps even gentle arguments, at the chalkboard of Dr. Oil.mart.. ·, clUll red " ork lab, which w,,", al"'ays open ""h.n I had an idrA to di u . Th mo t difficult parts of planning (hi, project, th. d ..· .lopm.nt and c:::ompari$On ,," 1-D urfAre with computer graphic::: , '4ere '4orked out in a ri of di cu ,ion Vio •• r~ !'Ion" ;th Ur Ja) Sloan and Krn K Ut: hn. Dr. C; loan pent an inordinate amolJnt of ltmf' '4 ith m) projKt and me (which he did not ha\e to pare) and our IIIAny hour of \Ioork tog ther \10 r hared ,,'ith a constant stream of Pfflplf' through his officf' nt>t"<l ing f~pt>rti • ad\ic:::r, or ignalurf'. .-\ "'ell &s his help \Io ilh projf"Ct dt"Sign , Dr. KUt'hn h harf"d .. ith mt hi t>'(lrnsivf' knowledge of '\1 ral igraph) . along \10 ith making '( n i\ r r \ if"" o( my pro po al and lhHis, I also thank ~1r . Cion on nor. K.ntucky·s ta •• Climatologi t. for hi h.lp and ad\ ict'. nd (or making &\ ilable the limatf' Center's ~u i pmt>nl and personnel. \lr. \ ·.rnon p) ... of th. lim" nt.. staff unlocked th. DI. SPLA packace'. po.. ..,rul cartographic capabiliti ... riting man) application program tha t made the graphics of lhi projec( possibl • . In the field. man) fri.nd h lped rn gath .. d la, some .uff.rinK lhrouKh lh Sf'\t"rt· drought And heat \Ioa\e that plaKuffl the- South~a.st L', " . durins the ummer of 19 6. The.. i"clud.d Phil Rel'd ... Aryan Kinkl •. Jim \\ eb l r, Tony Able, Tom F. n ) . Be" K.II r. and m) primar) fi.ld ... i!lanl. my "if•. 0 ana Cro... Apart from h r long. hOl da), in the fi.ld. Deana also "orked by my sid. III d uring other phAM' of th~ project. at th. rornputf'r t~rnll n al A..'i \Io ell as thr draftinl labl.. \ Iosl important!) , sh. kept our liv goinS during a poriod " h.n I conrrntratM on IiLLlr other than this project. Du rin g th long wr iting prO(' D.ana gently prodd.d whil. / pJodd.d. It i to he r most of .U that this " ork i. 10\ ingl) d.dicatro. T<\IlI.f: OF ('O\ T E\ T~ AC'K\"O\\ LEDGE~IE\T S ........................................................................................ ii i TABLE OF' C()"rE\T~ ..................................... .. .......... ...................................... LIST OF' F'IGl'RE ................................................................................................... vii All. TRACT ................................................................................................................ ,iii HAPTER I. 11\ TRODl' 1'10.\" .............. ................................................................................... II . THE T L' DY REA ............................................................................................ 7 Location............................................................. ....................... ..................... ; tratigraph) ..................................................................................................... i Th. Losl Ri"r h'r! Bod ...................... ....................................................... II Th or)don ~1,rnbor of lh. l. Loui Lim Ion . ......................................... 13 III. REVIE\ OF' LITER TLRE ............................................................................. 14 Inlrodu(tion....... .. ........................................................................................... .. I. Th ri of Cavern Df'\·t"Jopnlt'nl................................... ................................ 1. L;t it II rlf'rogf" ntit) r.l Crou ntl ", .. tt r Flo", /I har t Aqulf,.r .................................................... .................................. IS I\'. IfYPOTIfES~_ S.-\ \"D RESt:: RC'II DESIG\ .................................................... 21 H)polh. .. .......... ................................. ......................................................... 21 Jf)polh i ... 1........................................................................................... 21 II) polh ..i . ,,2.. .......................................................................................... 22 II) pol h. is "3.. ................................................................................. ....... 22 Research D.. ign ............................................................................................... 22 on lruction of Ceo logic StruclUr ~Iap ....................................................... 23 ourc ~s or Data............................................................................................... 23 Surfarf> ('xposures.................................... .. ................................................. 23 Exposur.. " ilhin e&", pas g ................................................................ 25 E.iSling ".11 log illform&l ion.................................................................... 27 G...,ph) ieol ",II loggillg ........................................................................... 27 t:l.iSl ing grologir rnaps............ ................... ............................................. 2S .\Iap I'rodu<lioll ............................ ................................................................. 2~ on-t lrurlion of \\ ' al ~ r 1 ~ abJf' \1 ap................................................................. 29 Dala o\ nol) i .................................................................................................. 32 \ fU.,q f T~ \\ f) CO \ ( f.l 'f()\ , ........................... '." C;.·olugir ' I ruel urr. 33 .. ................. ..... .. ........ ... ....... 33 Th. \\ a\(' r T.I>I •............. .................................. .....................•..... 3S Comparison dud ( 'orrrhu ion of Chf>rt ... and \\ atf'r Tahl ......................... 3 ( 'onC'lu -jon.,.. ....... '.' .................... ............................. 3 RH E R E \ C f; ~. ................... ................................................................................. 44 Af'PE\ DfX R,'<'ord of Geoph) · ".1 \\ ell fogging.. .................. ...................... .............. 50 ~ igurf' Pag.. I. Locat ion (If ~ttld~ \ rf'it ................................................................. 2 2. :'tratigraphic St-'f't iull uf I.unsl \ re'd .................... ".......................................... 3 3. Th LCht Rhf'r Cmllnd~itt(>r "