Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2021, Geological Sciences (Arts and Sciences)

Scallops are concave dissolution features that can form on soluble surfaces. These features have been used to recreate paleoflow conditions within cave systems. The goal of this study was to expand the knowledge of scallop spatial distributions and related statistics. We tested scallops' spatial distributions against random Poisson distributions. In order to test this, we measured scallops from Buckeye Creek Cave and the Boarhole Portal Cave System in Greenbrier, West Virginia and we performed statistical analyses on those measurements. We looked at the variance in scallop lengths between the two caves to determine if the distributions were statistically similar and concluded they were not. We then compared the variances of scallops on a vertical transect to those on a horizontal transect and found that this was inconclusive depending on passage geometry. Scallop distributions were compared to a random Poisson distribution and it was found that both cave's scallop distributions follow a random Poisson distribution, but are weakly inhibited. This was then corroborated by nearest neighbor analysis of scallops showing normality of the nearest neighbor distances, implying random relationships. Together, these results expand on reconstructing paleoflow with the of the spatial distribution of scallops. However, more work is needed to further understand the significance cave geometry contributes to reconstruction with scallop distribution.

Committee: Gregory Springer (Advisor); Katherine Fornash (Committee Member); Eung Seok Lee (Committee Member) Subjects: Geological; Geology; Geomorphology; Hydrology

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2021, Arts and Sciences: Geology

How do karst landscapes evolve over thousands to millions of years? How do various erosional processes contribute to that evolution? These are persistent questions in geomorphology and speleology. This dissertation addresses the question of processes from an erosion, transport, and deposition perspective. First, I cover the numerical modeling of abrasional wear by sediment transport in a cave passage, proposing a set of erosional zones comparing the contributions from dissolution and abrasion to the enlargement of cave passages. I then discuss the initiation of a long-term micro-erosion monitoring study in a cave river in Mammoth Cave National Park. It is anticipated that decades from now, data from that project will provide additional evidence to validate or refute the numerical modeling results. Next, I share the fieldwork investigation results of a sediment deposit in a different portion of Mammoth Cave. This was determined to be a debris flow deposit and a timeline of events leading to its deposition was proposed. Finally, I present the curricula of two activities designed to present karst hydrology and geomorphology to a wide variety of learners. These were then incorporated into Virtual Capstone Pathways to provide accessible and inclusive online options for undergraduate students. Deeply understanding our landscapes and their processes, and communicating about that knowledge effectively and accessibly can help people be passionate stewards of the land and of knowledge.

Committee: Dylan Ward Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Shaaban Abdallah Ph.D. (Committee Member); Matthew Covington Ph.D. (Committee Member); Craig Dietsch Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mohamad Reza Soltanian Pereshkafti (Committee Member) Subjects: Geomorphology

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2019, Geological Sciences (Arts and Sciences)

Turbulent flow across soluble bedrock can form concave dissolution features known as scallops. Scallops have been used to recreate paleoflow conditions in caves by deriving floodwater velocities and discharge from scallop lengths. The goal of this study was to verify and extend the application of scallops in recreating hydrogeologic conditions. We tested for the constancy of flow rates throughout a given passage (continuity), uniform vs. non-uniform flow, the effect on scallop lengths due to vertical position in a cave passage, correlations between sediment grain size and scallop-derived shear stresses in passages, and finally the effect of comparatively large scallop lengths (~outliers) on the derived discharge values. In order to test these hypotheses, we measured scallops and sediments from a multitude of caves in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, and by performing statistical analyses on the measurements. We attempted to replicate previous findings of continuity and were partially successful in doing so. We looked for a difference in the variances of scallops in curving and straight passages, which could be used to identify non-uniform flow, and concluded that variance is not able to be used as such. We then compared scallop lengths at various heights in a given passage cross-section and found that their derived specific discharges vary randomly with height with no upward increase of specific discharge. Sediment-derived and scallop-derived floodwater velocities were similar to each other and may represent the same flow conditions. Monte Carlo simulations of the effect of extreme scallop lengths for varied sample sizes revealed that the comparatively large scallop lengths significantly impact the Sauter mean when using smaller sample sizes. The standard deviation of Sauter means nearly doubled from sample sizes of 30 to 10 scallop lengths. Taken together, this study's findings confirmed and expanded the use of scallops in recreating paleoflow conditions but shows (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Gregory Springer PhD (Advisor); Gregory Nadon PhD (Committee Member); Dina Lopez PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Geology; Geomorphology; Hydrology

Master of Science, University of Akron, 2012, Geology

Shoveleater Cave of the Hellhole System is located in Germany Valley, Pendleton County, West Virginia. The Wills Mountain Anticline is breached here, exposing Ordovician limestones. Although currently dry, Shoveleater Cave retains evidence of its genesis and history that can help develop a thorough understanding of karst, both past and present in Germany Valley. This study investigated structural controls of cave formation, present day hydrology, and paleohydrology. It was hypothesized that the development of the vertical shafts of Shoveleater Cave is controlled by fracturing of the rock that hosts the cave. This was explored by comparing the locations of shafts with fractures measured in the field or found through aerial photography interpretation. Shafts coincided with fracturing in two cases. Bedding and fracture measurements taken in and above the cave were compared to the orientations of cave passages. Statistically, two times more passage length was bedding-controlled than fracture-controlled. It was hypothesized that the existence of a kink in the Wills Mountain Anticline is responsible for fracturing the rock that hosts Shoveleater Cave. Bedding was measured along the anticline limbs to determine if a bend in the ridge line of North Fork Mountain, which bounds Germany Valley to the east, was evidence of a structural kink in the anticline. A minor change in bedding strike near the bend did not account for the 9° horizontal bend in the ridge line. Instead, a slight change in bedding strike and dip, due to the anticline plunging at both ends of Germany Valley, caused inconsistent erosion of the ridge line. Dip was steeper to the north, possibly resulting in differential weathering along the ridge line. The present hydrology in Germany Valley precludes Shoveleater Cave from receiving allogenic recharge. Surface streams sink into swallets feeding Silent Stream of Hellhole prior to reaching Shoveleater Cave. It was hypothesized that paleo water flow in the souther (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ira Sasowsky Dr. (Advisor); John Senko Dr. (Committee Member); W. Ashley Griffith Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Geology; Geomorphology

Master of Science, University of Akron, 2007, Geology

Hellhole is an extensive (32 kilometer) cave system developed within Germany Valley (Pendleton County, West Virginia) on the flank of the Wills Mountain Anticline. The area can be described as a mature karst aquifer on the transitional margin of the Appalachian Plateau and Valley and Ridge physiographic provinces. Hellhole is the most extensive and deepest (158 meters) of several mapped caves in the area (others include Memorial Day Cave and Schoolhouse Cave). The upper bounding lithology is the McGlone Limestone. The cave penetrates through the Big Valley Formation and in to the New Market Limestone, a high purity unit that is mined locally. Faulting and folding are prominently exposed in several passages, but did not affect passage development in a noticeable way. The entrance sinkhole opens in to a large room, however, the morphology of the room suggests that the room formed the entrance by the intersection of passages followed by a vertical shaft intersecting from the surface. Passage orientation and strike of the bedrock are nearly identical (N25°E). Lower passages are generally down dip from upper (older) passages. Cave sediment and paleomagnetic analysis reveals that the minimum age of sediments analyzed are 1.070 million years old. Three hundred measurements of wall scallops show that paleowaters in the Western section flowed southwest (1.1 cubic meters per second). Paleoflow from the Southern portion of the cave flowed northward (0.94 meters cubic meters per second), and flow in the Northern section flowed southward (1.0 cubic meters per second). Most passages are 50 to 100 meters below the present land surface. Most of the cave appears to have formed under phreatic conditions, but the presence of thick clastic sediments in some locations attests to vadose invasion.

Committee: Ira Sasowsky (Advisor) Subjects: Geology