Vadose Zone Hydrology near the Vicinity of Edna's Dome, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
This study examines the differences in key physical aqueous parameters at two different cave sites separated by only a few tens of meters. One site (FF) has a freefalling water component where water descends nearly 30 meters from the ceiling of a vertical shaft. The other location (WW) appears to have continuous water to rock contact as it descends to near the same level in the cave. Water samples were collected at the two sites in two week intervals from May to August 2002. While both sites were proximal, they demonstrated very different behaviors, particularly during storm events. Differences in flow route may explain differences in relative water parameter data and response to rainfall events. An assumption was made that the WW site has continuous water to rock contact and the FF site does not. Specific conductance (SpC) data consistently suggest that the water apparently does indeed have a greater degree of water to rock contact when compared to the FF site as the pH and SpC values for the site always revealed a higher concurrent reading. These data suggest that while waters may be located within meters of each other in this karst environment the physical properties of water at each site can vary widely.
karst research, hydrology, groundwater, limestone karst, Earth Sciences, Geology
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