Anthropogenic events captured within sediment in Hidden River Cave, Kentucky

Abstract

Karstic cave systems are intricately related to surficial processes and the study of cave sediments is a growing field of research. Sediment deposits in caves are protected from surficial weathering processes, and are therefore often preserved. Hidden River Cave is an active, multi-level cave system in the town of Horse Cave, Kentucky with over 33 km of mapped passages. A history of anthropogenic impacts on the cave system include uses for hydroelectric power generation, a water source, and a show cave until it closed in 1943 due to severe contamination from domestic and industrial waste. Analysis of sediment cores from the cave system show distinct concentrations of metals within the sediment from chrome plating plant effluent. Relative concentrations of metals in the core record were obtained using an Itrax core scanner, and were observed to decrease moving downstream from the chrome plating plant contamination source. The chronology of sedimentation events indicates a strong connection between historical contaminating events in the town of Horse Cave and cave sediment deposition. This approach emphasizes how core analysis allows for depositional patterns in the cave system to be determined and related to historic surficial processes. The methodologies emphasis the potential for the analysis of sediment trapped within cave systems may be used to shed insight into a regions anthropogenic and natural events.