{"id":{"repo_id":"utc","oai_identifier":"oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1715"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/utc/oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1715","repository":{"repo_id":"utc","name":"University of Tennessee - Chattanooga","base_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"An inventory and mapping of cliffs within the South Cumberland Plateau region of Tennessee","abstract":"The high concentration of cliffs that permeate Tennessee’s South Cumberland Plateau (SCP) significantly influence the development, economy, and ecology of the region, yet little effort has been made to quantify these geophysical features. This study examined the use of LiDAR-derived digital elevation models (DEMs) to (1) create an exhaustive dataset of cliffs throughout a two-county study area within the SCP region and (2) better understand the implications of this quantification on conservation and rock climbing within the region. An impressive 428 km of total cliff line was modeled. Cliffs were GPS verified to an average error of ±13.9 m and a length RMSE = 91 m. The study determined 36% of cliffs in the study area lie on public lands, and 7% of cliffs are currently accessible for rock climbing. Results from this study clarify and reinforce the ecological and recreational significance of cliffs within the SCP region.","abstract_html":"The high concentration of cliffs that permeate Tennessee’s South Cumberland Plateau (SCP) significantly influence the development, economy, and ecology of the region, yet little effort has been made to quantify these geophysical features. This study examined the use of LiDAR-derived digital elevation models (DEMs) to (1) create an exhaustive dataset of cliffs throughout a two-county study area within the SCP region and (2) better understand the implications of this quantification on conservation and rock climbing within the region. An impressive 428 km of total cliff line was modeled. Cliffs were GPS verified to an average error of ±13.9 m and a length RMSE = 91 m. The study determined 36% of cliffs in the study area lie on public lands, and 7% of cliffs are currently accessible for rock climbing. Results from this study clarify and reinforce the ecological and recreational significance of cliffs within the SCP region.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Jones, Kyle"],"institution":"University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Spratt, Henry G., Jr.","Boyd, Jennifer N.; Hossain, A.K.M. Azad","College of Arts and Sciences"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":null,"date_issued":"","date_published":null,"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:46:51Z","subjects":["Geographic information systems","Geology -- Tennessee"],"languages":["English","eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/562","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Spratt, Henry G., Jr.","Boyd, Jennifer N.; Hossain, A.K.M. 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S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The high concentration of cliffs that permeate Tennessee’s South Cumberland Plateau (SCP) significantly influence the development, economy, and ecology of the region, yet little effort has been made to quantify these geophysical features. This study examined the use of LiDAR-derived digital elevation models (DEMs) to (1) create an exhaustive dataset of cliffs throughout a two-county study area within the SCP region and (2) better understand the implications of this quantification on conservation and rock climbing within the region. An impressive 428 km of total cliff line was modeled. Cliffs were GPS verified to an average error of ±13.9 m and a length RMSE = 91 m. The study determined 36% of cliffs in the study area lie on public lands, and 7% of cliffs are currently accessible for rock climbing. Results from this study clarify and reinforce the ecological and recreational significance of cliffs within the SCP region."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["An inventory and mapping of cliffs within the South Cumberland Plateau region of Tennessee"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Spratt, Henry G., Jr.","Boyd, Jennifer N.; Hossain, A.K.M. Azad","College of Arts and Sciences"],"dc:coverage":["Cumberland Mountains."],"dc:creator":["Jones, Kyle"],"dc:date":["2018-08-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description":["Dept. of Biological and Environmental Sciences","M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science."],"dc:description.abstract":["The high concentration of cliffs that permeate Tennessee’s South Cumberland Plateau (SCP) significantly influence the development, economy, and ecology of the region, yet little effort has been made to quantify these geophysical features. This study examined the use of LiDAR-derived digital elevation models (DEMs) to (1) create an exhaustive dataset of cliffs throughout a two-county study area within the SCP region and (2) better understand the implications of this quantification on conservation and rock climbing within the region. An impressive 428 km of total cliff line was modeled. Cliffs were GPS verified to an average error of ±13.9 m and a length RMSE = 91 m. The study determined 36% of cliffs in the study area lie on public lands, and 7% of cliffs are currently accessible for rock climbing. Results from this study clarify and reinforce the ecological and recreational significance of cliffs within the SCP region."],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/562"],"dc:language":["English","eng"],"dc:publisher":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"],"dc:relation":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"],"dc:rights":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"],"dc:subject":["Geographic information systems","Geology -- Tennessee"],"dc:title":["An inventory and mapping of cliffs within the South Cumberland Plateau region of Tennessee"],"dc:type":["Masters theses","Text"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:46:51Z"}