EVALUATING VARIATION IN LITHOLOGY AS AN EROSIONAL CONTROL ON A FLUVIOKARST SYSTEM LOCATED IN CARTER CAVES STATE RESORT PARK, NORTHEASTERN KENTUCKY

The erosion and development of karst landscapes are typically associated with the dissolution of limestone, but physical weathering also plays an import role. This is especially the case with fluviokarst systems, which consists of surface and subsurface drainage. These systems tend to occur where there is contact between soluble and non-soluble rock at the surface. Due to the difference in weathering processes between soluble and non-soluble rocks, one would expect this difference to influence rates of erosion and the development of a landscape as a whole. One such system is at Carter Caves State Resort Park (CCSRP) in northeastern Kentucky. CCSRP consists of Mississippian and Pennsylvanian age bedrock, with approximately 25 meters of limestone bedrock, bounded by siliciclastic units. The siliciclastic units are made up of sandstones and shales. To evaluate the differences in erosion occurring between the limestone and siliciclastic bedrock, longitudinal stream profiles will be generated and analyzed with ArcGIS. Analyzing stream profiles can serve as a proxy for measuring erosional forces. In ArcGIS, streams will be analyzed by finding best-fit equations, and calculating stream power values by comparing the integrated drainage area to elevation. Preliminary results suggest that there is a relationship between lithology and best-fit equation of longitudinal stream profiles, but further analysis is needed to determine which lithology is eroding at a faster rate. Stream power values will be evaluated by preforming a t-test to determine the statistical relationship between limestone and siliciclastic bedrock streams. A statistical difference in the stream power values between the limestone and siliciclastic bedrock would suggest that this system’s development is controlled by lithology. Similar stream power values between the lithologies would suggest that the systems development is regionally controlled. It is expected that there will be a greater amount of erosion in the siliciclastic bedrock.