GSA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA - 2018

Paper No. 183-4
Presentation Time: 9:00 AM-6:30 PM

CAVE SEDIMENT ANALYSIS FROM RUSSELL AND MONTAGUE CAVES IN NORTHEASTERN ALABAMA


CAMELO, Jonathan M.1, SUMRALL, Jonathan B.1 and KAMBESIS, Patricia N.2, (1)Department of Geosciences, Fort Hays State University, 600 Park St., Hays, KS 67601, (2)Center for Human Geoenvironmental Studies, Western Kentucky University, 1906 College Heights Blvd, Department of Geography & Geology, Bowling Green, KY 42127

This study aims to understand how sediment deposition is influenced in a karst system as well as the paleoclimate of the region. There have been few studies on sediment deposition in karst systems. The location of this study is Russell Cave and Montague Cave in northeast Alabama. Russell Cave and Montague Cave are characterized as typical hydrological fluviokarst and are located at the base of the Cumberland Plateau in Northeast Alabama. The research objectives are to identify sediment sources, depositional conditions within the cave, and determining the rate of sediment accumulation. Six sediment cores were obtained in various locations of the caves for sediment analysis. These cores were inventoried along with stream channels and sediment banks and outlined in a cave profile. Furthermore, these objectives will be accomplished using different methods, including: grain-size analysis, loss on ignition (LOI), carbon-14 dating, and palynology.