Morphometric quantification of cockpit karst in a Jamaican bauxite mining concession

Abstract

A digital surface model (DSM) is used to characterize the landscape and topical karst landforms within a bauxite mining lease in north central Jamaica. Five case study sites are selected for detailed geomorphic analysis and cartographic visualization using a GIS. In Jamaica, tropical cockpit karst landscapes are composed of several landforms: cockpits, glades, corridors, saddles, and talus slopes. Evidence for the existence and quantification of these landforms is provided in this paper. Study sites have a mean basin area of 96,514 m2, an average highest elevation of 541 m, mean lowest point of 444 m, with an average enclosed depression depth of 97 m. Depth and slope values within the study sites are consistent with previously published literature for cockpit karst landscapes. The literature also supports the findings in this study which are steep and convex slopes surrounding cockpit floors.