Pages

Friday, February 1, 2013

An Introduction to Caves and Karst

An Introduction to Caves and Karst. Lecture held in Martinsville Virginia at the Virginia Museum of Natural History

Date: February 23, 2013
Time: 6 pm
Place: Virginia Museum of Natural History
For: General Public
Cost: No fee



Karst is defined as a landscape with topographic depressions such as sinkholes, springs, sinking streams and caves, caused by underground solution of limestone bedrock. This landscape features underground streams and aquifers, which supply the wells and springs for communities. The hollow nature of karst terrain results in a very high pollution potential. Streams and surface runoff entering sinkholes or caves bypass natural filtration through the soil and provide direct conduits for contaminants in karst terrain. Groundwater can travel quite rapidly through these underground networks - up to several miles a day - and contaminants can be transmitted quickly to wells and springs in the vicinity. 

Karst protection requires an understanding of the karst watershed and the will to protect the natural resources within the karst watershed. 

Presented by: Carol Zokaites, Environmental Education Coordinator for Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation 

Carol Zokaites is an Environmental Education Coordinator in the Va. Dept. of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). She is also the National Coordinator for Project Underground, a national karst education program. Carol’s combined passions for caves and science education has led to 16 years of teaching about groundwater and the unique habitats found in karst terrain.

National Coordinator of Project Underground

Sponsored by the Southwestern Piedmont Master Naturalists

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for your comment and interest! NOW GO OUTSIDE!