Karst Hydrogeology of Mammoth Cave National Park: Why is the World’s Longest Known Cave Here?
Session Type
Virtual Field Trip
Start Date
19-8-2020 10:00 AM
Description
Mammoth Cave National Park forms the core area of one of the world’s iconic karst landscape/aquifer systems also designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site. Mammoth Cave itself has a known length of more than 660 km, with more explored and mapped continuously, and at least another 305 km of mapped passages lie nearby. This virtual classic field excursion explored the surface and subsurface landscapes of the Pennyroyal and Mammoth Cave Plateaus with a focus on understanding the geologic and climatic elements that have conspired to form the “perfect storm” of karst development that we see here. We also discussed work of the pioneers of karst science who have been drawn here over the years. Leaders: Dr. Will White, Professor Emeritus, The Pennsylvania State University, Dr. Art Palmer, Professor Emeritus, State University of New York at Oneonta, and Dr. Chris Groves, University Distinguished Professor of Hydrogeology, Western Kentucky University .
Recommended Citation
Groves, Chris; White, Will; White, Bette; Palmer, Art; and Palmer, Peg, "Karst Hydrogeology of Mammoth Cave National Park: Why is the World’s Longest Known Cave Here?" (2020). Conservation of Fragile Karst Resources Proceedings. 10.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/con_karst_res_proc/con_karst_pro_2020/day_two/10
Karst Hydrogeology of Mammoth Cave National Park: Why is the World’s Longest Known Cave Here?
Mammoth Cave National Park forms the core area of one of the world’s iconic karst landscape/aquifer systems also designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site. Mammoth Cave itself has a known length of more than 660 km, with more explored and mapped continuously, and at least another 305 km of mapped passages lie nearby. This virtual classic field excursion explored the surface and subsurface landscapes of the Pennyroyal and Mammoth Cave Plateaus with a focus on understanding the geologic and climatic elements that have conspired to form the “perfect storm” of karst development that we see here. We also discussed work of the pioneers of karst science who have been drawn here over the years. Leaders: Dr. Will White, Professor Emeritus, The Pennsylvania State University, Dr. Art Palmer, Professor Emeritus, State University of New York at Oneonta, and Dr. Chris Groves, University Distinguished Professor of Hydrogeology, Western Kentucky University .
Comments
This presentation was part of the Virtual Field Excursions Session:
Though virtual tours cannot replace the physical experience of visiting Mammoth Cave National Park and the Mammoth Cave Area Biosphere Reserve, our field trip leaders presented tour highlights, discussed related topics, and answered questions.