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Geosciences
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Karst Unsaturated Zone
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Karst Unsaturated Zone

A special issue of Geosciences (ISSN 2076-3263).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 11482

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Charles Danquigny

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Avignon Université, UMR EMMAH, 301 rue Baruch de Spinoza, 84916-Avignon, France
Interests: hydrogeology; hydrodynamics; karst; carbonates; numerical modelling
Prof. Dr. Olivier Kaufmann

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculté Polytechnique de Mons, Université de Mons, 9 rue de Houdain, B-7000 Mons, Belgium
Interests: geology; hydrology; exploration geophysics; groundwater; applied geophysics; geophysics; seismic reflection; remediation; hydrogeology; inversion; near surface geophysics; inverse modeling; hydrogeophysics; geothermal; GPR; resistivity tomography; gravimetry; speleology; ERT; karst
Ms. Caroline Lessio Cazarin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Petrobras Research and Development Center (CENPES), Horácio Macedo, 950 – Cidade Universitária, 21941-915 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Interests: sedimentology; field geology; tectonics; structural geology; sedimentary basins; stratigraphy; petrography; petroleum geology; petrology; diagenesis; carbonates; geochemistry; ground penetrating radar; geotourism; speleology; carbonate sedimentology; karst; hypogenic caves; karst systems
Dr. Patricia Kambesis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Human GeoEnvironmental Studies, Department of Earth, Environmental and Atmospheric Studies, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101, USA
Interests: spatial analysis; mapping; cartography; arcgis; karst hydrogeology; karst geomorphology; cave survey; cave exploration; coastal karst

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Geosciences and the Guest Editors, in celebration of the International Year of Caves and Karst 2021 (IYCK), announce a Special Issue dedicated to the Karst Unsaturated Zone.

At the heart of the critical zone, the unsaturated zone of karst aquifers acts as a very sensitive buffer zone between the anthropised surface and the groundwater resource. The ancient unsaturated zone of buried karst palaeo-aquifers is of interest for underground applications such as oil and gas production or CO2 storage. These different applications with important societal stakes raise complementary questions.

The unsaturated (or vadose) zone of karst systems presents multiple complexities, which challenge different disciplines of geosciences. The epikarst, the transmission zone and the many types of karst features and caves result from a multi-physical and multi-stage genesis affecting already heterogeneous deposits and result in highly complex fluids dynamics. The karst unsaturated zone of karst aquifers offers numerous and varied accesses, both direct (outcrops, caves, underground installations, boreholes, etc.) and indirect (remote sensing, near-surface geophysics, surface and underground water monitoring, etc.), which allow it to be studied from many angles and with a large number of complementary methods. The study of the unsaturated zone of today's karst systems helps to address the societal issues associated with this critical zone. It also contributes to improve our understanding of buried karsts.

This Special Issue invites contributions dealing with, but not limited to, the following topics: epikarst and transmission zone, karst geomorphology and caves topography, karst genesis, karst initiation at emersion of carbonate deposits, karst inception, palaeokarst, petrophysics, flows and storage in karst unsaturated zones, perched carbonate aquifers, karst occurrences and their impact on fluids dynamics in buried carbonate reservoirs, outcrop analogues of karstified carbonate reservoirs, and related interdisciplinary and new characterization and modelling techniques including sampling, logging, remote sensing, lidar, geophysics, groundwater monitoring, 3D modelling.

Dr. Charles Danquigny
Prof. Dr. Olivier Kaufmann
Ms. Caroline Lessio Cazarin
Dr. Patricia Kambesis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Geosciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Karst
  • Unsaturated Zone
  • Carbonate rocks
  • Flows
  • Speleogenesis
  • Structural Geology
  • Caves
  • Transmission Zone
  • Epikarst
  • Critical zone
  • Geophysics

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 1778 KiB  
Article
Geospatial Assessment of Karst Spring Water Quality in Northeast Tennessee, USA
by Lukman Fashina, Ingrid Luffman, T. Andrew Joyner and Arpita Nandi
Geosciences 2022, 12(8), 303; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12080303 - 9 Aug 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2771
Abstract
Karst springs are an essential source of private water supply for about 10% of households in Tennessee. However, the water quality of these springs is unmonitored and unregulated even though many springs are highly productive yet vulnerable to contamination. This study assesses spatial [...] Read more.
Karst springs are an essential source of private water supply for about 10% of households in Tennessee. However, the water quality of these springs is unmonitored and unregulated even though many springs are highly productive yet vulnerable to contamination. This study assesses spatial patterns in the water quality of roadside springs in northeast Tennessee. Karst spring water samples collected from 50 springs were assessed using EPA Standard methods for pathogens, nutrients, radon, and physicochemical parameters. From statistical and spatial analyses, all but five samples contained E. coli, while all samples contained fecal coliform. High E. coli was spatially clustered (Local Moran’s I = 0.177, pseudo p-value = 0.012) in regions of high agricultural land use, resulting in a fecal contamination hot spot on the border of Washington and Sullivan Counties, Tennessee. Radon concentrations exceeded the 300 pCi/L proposed MCL in 29 (58%) of springs, with one spring in Unicoi County exceeding 1000 pCi/L. A radon hot spot was identified in northern Washington County (Local Moran’s I = 0.160, pseudo p-value = 0.014). Cokriging of E. coli with land use and radon with distance to mapped fault did not improve interpolation models for either parameter. Other parameters, including nitrate, pH, and total dissolved solids, were within recommended ranges for drinking water. This snapshot of spring water quality status identifies areas of poor spring water quality of which spring water users in the region should be aware, and establishes the need for longitudinal sampling of spring water quality in contamination hot spots. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Karst Unsaturated Zone)
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12 pages, 4060 KiB  
Article
Geospatial Applications of Cave Resource Data to Better Understand Epikarst and Unsaturated Zone Groundwater Flow Path Development
by Sierra M. Heimel and Benjamin W. Tobin
Geosciences 2022, 12(2), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12020047 - 18 Jan 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3703
Abstract
The unsaturated zone is a critical component of karstic groundwater systems and is shown to provide substantial storage capacities. Understanding the spatial patterns and controls on flow path activation is often a challenge. Previous research focused on remotely sensed data or inferential analyses [...] Read more.
The unsaturated zone is a critical component of karstic groundwater systems and is shown to provide substantial storage capacities. Understanding the spatial patterns and controls on flow path activation is often a challenge. Previous research focused on remotely sensed data or inferential analyses to quantify these patterns. Here, we use two cave systems—one in Arizona, USA and a second in Kentucky, USA—to show the value of the cave survey and inventory data in the direct observation of speleogenesis and unsaturated zone processes. Using geospatial statistical analyses, we show that passage size varies with distance from some faults, indicating that these faults play a major role in transporting fluid into the limestone and creating increased permeability in the form of cave passages. Additionally, the close relationship between water, calcite resources and geology provide clear evidence for the activation of unsaturated zone flow paths through these cave systems. While both cave systems represent a large area of greatly increased permeability, only isolated sections of the caves show evidence of this active flow. In both cases, modern vadose zone flow occurs proximal to faults and contacts with overlying insoluble lithology. These results suggest that an expanded use of cave survey and inventory data may provide a greater insight into unsaturated zone processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Karst Unsaturated Zone)
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Review

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34 pages, 9679 KiB  
Review
Development Environments and Factors of Subsidence Dolines
by Márton Veress
Geosciences 2021, 11(12), 513; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11120513 - 14 Dec 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3641
Abstract
This study describes the development environments of subsidence dolines based on literary data (development environments create favorable conditions for the local denudation of superficial deposit and thus, for the development of depressions). Development environments are the inclination of the bearing surface, the secondary [...] Read more.
This study describes the development environments of subsidence dolines based on literary data (development environments create favorable conditions for the local denudation of superficial deposit and thus, for the development of depressions). Development environments are the inclination of the bearing surface, the secondary porosity of the bedrock, the characteristics of the cover, water influx into the cover, karstwater and groundwater, melting permafrost, and anthropogenic activity. These may become optimal when controlled by various geological, geomorphological, and climatic factors. Development environments may be qualitative (there is doline development in case of its presence) and quantitative (doline development occurs in case of suitable quantitative values). The development environment groups of subsidence dolines are environment groups independent of water level, environment groups dependent on water level, and anthropogenic environment groups. In the case of an environment group independent of water level, surface morphology, cover characteristics, geomorphic evolution, and water supply are determining, while in case of an environment group dependent of water level, subsurface water level and its fluctuations and the characteristics of rainfalls interrupting dry seasons are crucial. Anthropogenic impacts mainly affect doline development through water balance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Karst Unsaturated Zone)
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