CONNECTION BETWEEN SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE KARST DEVELOPMENT IN FLORIDA

Spatial distribution of karst features is critical in understanding the development of karst landforms. In this study, spatial distribution and orientation of karstic depressions and caves in Florida are compared to explore the connection between surface and subsurface karst development. Spatial analysis of large data sets was made possible by applying spatial statistics tools of ArcGIS on karstic depressions and caves databases prepared in the GIS format. Standard Deviation Ellipses, created for 22 caves and a total of 5,265 karstic depressions within 1, 2, and 3 km buffer areas of each cave were compared. As the number of depressions increases with distance from each cave, the relationship between surface and subsurface karst development becomes apparent. Depressions within 2 and 3 km buffer zones around caves explain 61% and 73% of variations in cave orientation, respectively.