ANALYSIS OF CAVE SEDIMENTS AND MORPHOLOGICAL CONTROLS ON DEPOSITION, BUTLER CAVE, BURNSVILLE COVE, VIRGINIA

The arrangement of passages and halls found in Butler Cave located in Bath County, Burnsville Cove, Virginia raises intriguing questions about the nature of its formation processes. While most of its passages appear to be formed by epigenetic influence, sedimentation and geometry of some passages point out that a mixture of both epigenic and hypogenic processes might have been responsible for their formation. The morphology of these passages changes periodically throughout the whole geologic expansion of the cave, as we move further downstream these passages widen into large halls and narrow down to canyon like passages. This study aims to analyze the physical sedimentological properties of deposits found across five collection sites to describe changes throughout an area of eccentric morphology. These sedimentological properties could contribute to further understanding of the evolution of Butler Cave’s drainage patterns and hydrogeological cycles. The study area selected for research purposes is concentrated on a section of the cave that encompasses the Silt Crawl, Dry Sumps, Showers, and the French Passage. Particle sizes were characterized using a Laser Diffraction Particle Size Analyzer to describe size distribution across each of the sections at different depths. Additionally, total organic carbon content was quantified for each of the samples employing the Loss of Ignition method. On field morphological observations and sedimentological data, along with relevant data from earlier studies, reveals a karst conduit paleo-flow arrangement derived from overflow and constricted drainage passages of the Sinking Creek waters. Further research should focus on analyzing the morphological characteristics of Butler Cave on a greater scale from a hypogenic standpoint, with the intention of differentiating its stages of formation through geologic history.