Joint 53rd South-Central/53rd North-Central/71st Rocky Mtn Section Meeting - 2019

Paper No. 23-6
Presentation Time: 8:30 AM-5:45 PM

FLOOD BANK ANALYSIS OF CAVE SEDIMENT IN 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 seeks to understand how sediment deposits in cave passages influence a karst system as well as interpret the paleoclimate of the region. Russell Cave and Montague Cave are characterized as typical hydrological fluviokarst. The caves are located in Northeast Alabama at the base of the Cumberland Plateau in Doran Cove. The research objectives are to identify sediment distribution, depositional conditions, and determining the rate of sediment accumulation within the cave. Three sediment cores were obtained in various locations of Russell Cave and one core obtained from Montague Cave for sediment analysis. These cores were inventoried from the sediment flood banks along the stream channels and outlined in a cave profile. The methods to accomplish the study involve: grain-size analysis, loss on ignition (LOI), carbon-14 dating, and magnetic susceptibility. At this time, results from sediment grain size can be used to understand depositional energy of the particles and show peaks of coarse particles (sands), which are possibility associated with large scale past flood events.