Southeastern Section–55th Annual Meeting (23–24 March 2006)

Paper No. 10
Presentation Time: 4:40 PM

DEVELOPMENT OF A REGIONAL APPALACHIAN KARST FEATURE DATABASE


GAO, Yongli, Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Geology, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, gaoy@etsu.edu

Karst lands cover more than 40% of the contiguous United States east of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Many active karst areas exist in the southeastern U.S. This paper presents ongoing effort to develop a regional Appalachian Karst Feature Database (KFD) using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Database Management System (DBMS) technologies. A sub-regional KFD of the southeastern part of Appalachian Karst is being assembled by merging available karst features and geological information in Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. The ultimate goal of this research is to develop a complete regional Appalachian KFD. This KFD will provide data and tools for researchers and land-use planners to access karst hazards and to manage water resources of the Appalachian Karst.