INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON KARST HYDROGEOLOGY AND ECOSYSTEMS, POST-CONFERENCE FIELD TRIP:

The Geology and Speleogenesis of Mammoth Cave, Kentucky

June 7 & 8, 2003 - Mammoth Cave, Kentucky

Price: $200

The two-day-long, post-conference Mammoth Cave field trip will involve the choice between two concurrent activities each day. Please e-mail the organizers with your preference (Chris Groves, e-mail: chris.groves@wku.edu).

Includes: Lodging at Hamilton Valley (Days Inn if desired, but at your own cost),
canoe rental, 3 Breakfasts, 2 Box Lunches, 2 Dinners, Transportation to Bowling Green and Back
 
Lodging:
If you do not wish to stay at Hamilton Valley Research Center, transportation to and from 
Days Inn in Cave City will be available. Days Inn phone numbers are: 270-773-2151 and 
(toll free) 800-329-7466, (state you are staying for the Karst 2003 Conference). If reserving 
over internet, in comments section, write - "For Karst 2003 Conference"

SATURDAY ACTIVITIES

Geology of the Flint Ridge‑Mammoth Cave Connection

Saturday, June 7, 2003

Leaders: Dr. Art Palmer

Co‑leaders: Peggy Palmer

Participants: 14

Duration: 8:00 a.m.‑ 6:00 p.m.

Level of Difficulty and Required Equipment:

Very strenuous. Caving helmet, helmet-mounted light, two additional light sources, knee-pads, caving pack, 2 liters of water, food.

Proposed route and educational objectives:

The dual purposes of this trip are to discuss geology of the Mammoth Cave System, concentrating on the most intensely studied areas of Flint Ridge, and to discuss the important, synergistic relationship between cave survey and science. The 1972 connection of the two systems was made possible in large part by evaluation of the geomorphology of the cave system, and in turn the exploration and survey associated with the effort added an important component to our understanding of the cave.

At approximately 8:00, the group will proceed to the Austin Entrance to Unknown Cave. After a short stoop and crawl, the group will emerge at the junction of Columbia and Pohl Avenues. The party will follow Pohl and stopping at Cow Falls. Discussions will be made relative to the cave's position with respect to the caprock. As the trip proceeds up Pohl Avenue, the passage will become drier as it goes beneath the capped ridgetop; this is especially notable near the junction of the Lower Crouchway. The party will continue to the ladder leading upward into Smith Avenue near the end of Pohl. After climbing the ladder, the party will encounter Brucker Breakdown, an excellent example of a (near) terminal breakdown choke as the passage underlies a deeply incised valley. At the top of Brucker Breakdown, the party will proceed down Turner Avenue, one of the finest examples of a phreatic tube passage anywhere, and stop at the Old Granddad formation. The group will stop for a meal break somewhere about midway through the trip. The group will continue in the direction of Candlelight River, making their way from the upper level trunks downwards into the lower level passages. At a short distance into this area, at least long enough to display the character of these passages, there will be discussion of the relationships between the surface topography and the cave system, and how a difficulty of the connection was that a route had to be found through low elevation areas beneath Eaton Valley. This will introduce a general discussion about cave levels and their interpretation, noting classic examples of passage types and levels on the return trip to the Austin Entrance.

Geology and Speleogenesis of the Mammoth Cave Karst

Saturday, June 7, 2003

Leader: Joe Meiman

Co‑leader: Dr. Chris Groves

Participants: 14

Duration: 8:00 a.m.‑ 6:00 p.m.

Proposed route and educational objectives:

Level of Difficulty and Required Equipment:

Moderately strenuous. Caving helmet, helmet-mounted light, two additional light sources, knee-pads, caving pack, 2 liters of water, food. A change of clothes (warm weather for river trip).

The field trip will be in two portions, one, a trip into Great Onyx Cave to examine the speleogenic history of upper trunk passages of the Mammoth Cave System, followed by a canoe trip down the Green River to examine the role of the river in shaping the regional geomorphology.

At approximately 9:00 a.m. the party will assemble at the entrance of Great Onyx Cave. Entrance ecotones, artificial entrances, and cave gates will be discussed. The party will enter the cave via the airlock, and examine the multitude of carbonate speleothems common in cave passages under valley walls without the overlying Big Clifty Sandstone. The group will proceed up Edwards Avenue and discuss evidence that Edwards is the downstream continuation of the Upper Salts Cave trunk passage. As the group proceeds further beneath the cap-rock, carbonate speleothems are lost and sulfate speleothems are encountered. At the junction of Edwards and Cox Avenues, the group will traverse Cox and relate its role with the superjacent Edwards. The group will continue up Cox Avenue to the Wind-chimes (helictites), and return to Edwards Avenue and exit the cave.

The group will then travel to the Dennison Ferry canoe launch and prepare for a float trip to Mammoth Cave Ferry. This section of the Green River provides an excellent backdrop to discuss the evolution of the geomorphic landscape and how it is controlled by the entrenchment and agradation of the Green River. Other discussions will concern the flow dynamics of the river as well as the aquatic ecosystem and water quality of the river. USACE flow and release modifications and Lock and Dam #6 issues will be discussed. The party will arrive at the Mammoth Cave Ferry by 6:00 p.m.

SUNDAY ACTIVITIES

The Genesis of Mammoth Cave

Sunday, June 8, 2003

Leader: Dr. Chris Groves

Participants: 20

Duration: 9:00 a.m.‑ 1:00 p.m.

Level of Difficulty and Required Equipment:

Moderate to strenuous walking (7 km) over steep tourist trails

Proposed route and educational objectives:

All activities will be confined to the current "Grand Avenue" tour route. The group will be shuttled to the Carmichael Entrance at approximately 9:00 via vans, and a van left at the Frozen Niagara Entrance (the maximum of two vans left at each entrance). The group enter the Carmichael Entrance and to Cleveland Avenue, one of the best examples of an elliptical phreatic tube passage. As the group proceeds up the paleo-gradient to the Snowball Room, discussion will range from phreatic cave development to secondary mineral deposition (as evident by the luxuriant deposits of gypsum along the way). Leaving the Snowball Room, and into Washington Hall and Mary's Vineyard, the classic example of a vadose dip-canyon meeting a phreatic strike-tube can be seen. The group will proceed up Boone Avenue, an excellent example of a vadose canyon with its wonderfully propagating meanders and scallops. At Thorpe's Pit caprock breeches will be discussed, as well as the roles of vertical shafts. At Forks of the Cave one can again see the uppermost level of Kentucky Avenue (last seen at the Carmichael Entrance as Sandstone Avenue), and the role of piracy routes will be discussed. The group will travel Kentucky Avenue, stopping occasionally to observe the how overlying, somewhat smaller passages, collapse into the underlying passages when they overlap. The stretch between Mount McKinley and Areo Bridge Canyon provide spectacular views of this breakdown-modified canyon passage. Near Black Onyx, one can still see the original anastomotic bedding plane of the ceiling, perhaps the beginning of Kentucky Avenue. At Grand Central Station, the group either follow the exceptional shaft complex of the New Entrance, or exit the cave via the Frozen Niagara Entrance at approximately 1:00 – depending on normal tour schedules and overall energy of the group. The “New Entrance” route will discuss the role of vertical shafts on the formation of Mammoth Cave, while the route will discuss the geochemistry of the calcite deposits of Frozen Niagara.

The Speleogenesis of Mammoth Cave Ridge

Sunday, June 8, 2003

Leader: Joe Meiman

Co-Leader: Charles DeCroix

Participants: 15

Duration: 9:00 a.m.‑ 6:00 p.m.

Level of Difficulty and Required Equipment:

Very strenuous. Caving helmet, helmet-mounted light, two additional light sources, knee-pads, caving pack, 2 liters of water, food. A change of clothes (warm weather for river trip).

Proposed route and educational objectives:

The group enter the Carmichael Entrance and to Cleveland Avenue, one of the best examples of an elliptical phreatic tube passage. As the group proceeds up the paleo-gradient to the Snowball Room, discussion will range from phreatic cave development to secondary mineral deposition (as evident by the luxuriant deposits of gypsum along the way). Leaving the Snowball Room, and into Washington Hall and Mary's Vineyard, the classic example of a vadose dip-canyon meeting a phreatic strike-tube can be seen. The group will proceed up Boone Avenue, an excellent example of a vadose canyon with its wonderfully propagating meanders and scallops. At Thorpe's Pit caprock breeches will be discussed, as well as the roles of vertical shafts. At Forks of the Cave one can again see the uppermost level of Kentucky Avenue (last seen at the Carmichael Entrance as Sandstone Avenue), and the role of piracy routes will be discussed.

The group will re-trace its steps to Rose’s Pass and enter a portion of the current “Wild Cave” tour route. Edna’s Dome provides and excellent example of a vertical shaft complex directly beneath a seasonal stream sinkpoint. The results of our vertical shaft evolution study will be discussed. At this point the group will embark on a remarkable route – Martle Avenue, Nickelson Avenue, Bird Avenue, Emily’s Avenue, Thorpe’s Avenue, Sitgrieve’s Pass, Burley’s Way, Stevenson Avenue, to Cascade Hall. This route, downstream, along a common flow vector over 5 kilometers in length, provides an excellent example of the cave’s response to lowering of the base-level by the Green River. Upon reaching Cascade Hall we will visit Echo River and discuss current speleogensis processes. The group will then travel to Serpent Hall and enter the downstream end of Ganter (Welcome) Avenue. A break will occur at the steps of Rider Haggard’s Flight, an excellent example of a rapidly lowering base level and subsequent flow piracy. From there the group will walk to the Wooden Bowl Room, emerge at the Giant’s Coffin, and proceed up Main Cave to the Violet City Entrance. The group will exit the cave at approximately 6:00 p.m.