Abstract
Cave levels, passages found at similar elevations and formed during the same constant stream base level event, reveal information about paleoclimates and karst geomorphology. The investigation presented here examines how Stream Power Index (SPI) relates to cave levels. The study area, Carter Caves State Resort Park (CCSRP), is a fluviokarst system in northeastern Kentucky containing multiple cave levels. SPI determines the erosive power overland flow based on the assumption that flow accumulation and slope are proportional to potential for sediment entrainment. Part of this digital terrain analysis requires the creation of a flow accumulation raster from a digital elevation model (DEM). In creating the flow accumulation raster, one has the option to fill depressions (also considered errors) within the DEM. Filling these depressions, or “sinks,” creates a well-connected stream network; however it also removes possible sinkholes from the DEM. This paper also investigates the effects a filled and an unfilled DEM have on SPI and what each reveals about erosion potential in the area. The data shows that low elevations within the filled DEM maintain a high SPI value when compared to the unfilled DEM. The filled DEM also created a stream network similar to reality. The unfilled DEM demonstrated similar SPI results between all levels, indicating a well-connected karst system. In order to truly understand the mechanics of this system, a combination of these two DEMs is required.
Highlights
The term karst describes terrain that contains both surficial and subterranean landforms that form through dissolution
This paper investigates the effects a filled and an unfilled digital elevation model (DEM) have on Stream Power Index (SPI) and what each reveals about erosion potential in the area
Generation of a stream network using SPI values creates a continuous network in the filled DEM (Figure 3(a)) and an irregular network in the unfiled DEM (Figure 3 (b))
Summary
The term karst describes terrain that contains both surficial and subterranean landforms that form through dissolution. The landforms produced through this process include, but are not limited to, sinkholes, cave caverns, sinking streams, and passageways. Passage development is dependent on a variety of factors, including base flow elevation of the streams, stratigraphy, the movement of water in the unsaturated zone to underlying bedrock, chemical variations, and variations in discharge [2]. Active dissolution and extended periods of constant base level, allow for large passages to develop at or near the current base level elevation. When the regional base level lowers, river incision rates increase and groundwater flow is deflected to lower elevations [3]. Dissolution in passages that were abandoned by groundwater flow is limited or stopped as a result of this regional hydrologic change
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