TEACHING KARST HYDROLOGY IN THE FIELD: FROM INSURGENCE TO RESURGENCE AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

Pompey’s Cave, located in the town of Kyserike, N.Y., is the longest known cave in Ulster County. Interest in Pompey’s Cave, however, extends beyond the exploration of limestone cavities and into the realm of teaching geology. The accessibility of multiple insurgence and resurgence points (low- and high-flow), in conjunction with entry into a large portion of the internal system, allows for a start-to-finish approach to the investigation of this complex hydrological system. Additionally, the immediate area surrounding the cave has extensive bedrock exposure allowing for a thorough understanding of the effects of bedrock structure on cave formation.

Initial steps of data collection are ongoing at this site and have thus far consisted of a high-precision survey of the surface topography from insurgence to resurgence, additions to the existing cave survey, and planimeter measurements of the stream’s drainage basin on topographic maps. Further planned research includes obtaining detailed flow measurements at multiple points through the system at various flow levels, quantitative dye tracing to determine flow rates at varying flows, and detailed bedrock mapping. Linking our data with previous chemical analyses of water in the system will provide a nearly complete, compact, local laboratory for teaching about karst processes within a short distance of several high schools and colleges in the area.