FACTORS CONTROLLING THE DEVELOPMENT AND DISTRIBUTION OF KARST TERRANE FEATURES IN THE INNER BLUEGRASS REGION OF KENTUCKY

The Inner Bluegrass region of Kentucky represents the state’s most densely populated and second largest karst terrane with an area of approximately 5,700 km². Consequently, its karst features can affect the lives of more people and buildings than elsewhere in Kentucky. Previous researchers have noted correlations between the location of karst features and various geologic factors in small, isolated areas of the Inner Bluegrass, but it was not previously possible to examine what controls the location and development of karst features for the entire region. The results of a recently published dissertation provide highly detailed lithostratigraphic descriptions and member distributions for the Lexington Limestone, which hosts karst in the Inner Bluegrass region. Another recent dissertation provides a more comprehensive understanding of how the region’s fluvial geomorphology has developed through time and the impacts of the last glacial maximum on that development. Those results raise the question of whether the karst features in the region will display multiple time signals in terms of their location and distribution patterns. Finally, LiDAR coverage for the entire Inner Bluegrass is available, and analysis of it will facilitate comprehensive mapping of karst features for the entire study area. This LiDAR coverage and field studies will be used in conjunction with the capabilities of a geographic information system (GIS) for data management, mapping, and analysis to: (1) map and analyze patterns in spatial distribution of each type of karst feature; and (2) evaluate relationships between karst features and geologic factors known to control karstification. Analysis of the data will focus on determining the significance of apparent relationships with geostatistical methods suitable for spatial analysis.