The Analysis of Cave Dripwaters and Cave Calcite Deposits with GIS Resources

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The Analysis of Cave Dripwaters and Cave Calcite
Deposits with GIS Resources
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Central Texas Cave Project
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Central Texas Cave Project

• Constituents of Concern Include

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Central Texas Cave Project

• Constituents of Concern Include
• Driprates of Cave Dripwaters

Pic of Dripping stalagtite
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Central Texas Cave Project

• Constituents of Concern Include
• Calcite Growth

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Central Texas Cave Project

• Constituents of Concern Include
• Dripwater Geochemistry

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Central Texas Cave Project

• Constituents of Concern Include
• Dripwater Geochemistry
• pH
• Conductivity
• Major Ions
• Isotopic Compositions
• (Oxygen, Deuterium, Carbon)
• Alkalinity

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• What affects the geochemistry of these waters?
  What affects the rates of calcite growth?

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Project Objectives
Use GIS to determine

1. Precipitation
2. Overlying Soils
3. Land Cover

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Study Area

• Caverns of Sonora
• Natural Bridge Caverns
• Innerspace Caverns

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Project Objectives
Use GIS to determine

1. Precipitation
2. Overlying Soils
3. Land Cover

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Texas Average Annual Precipitation
Source Texas Water Development Board
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Central Texas Average Annual Precipitation
Source Texas Water Development Board
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Central Texas Average Annual Precipitation

• Caverns of Sonora lies within 20-22 inches per
  year

Source Texas Water Development Board
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Central Texas Average Annual Precipitation

• Caverns of Sonora lies within 20-22 inches per
  year
• Natural Bridge Caverns and Innerspace Caverns lie
  within 30-35 inches per year

Source Texas Water Development Board
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Are differences in precipitation evident in cave
driprates?
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Driprates

• Caverns of Sonora has average driprates much
  smaller than Innerspace Caverns and Natural
  Bridge Caverns

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Are differences in precipitation evident in cave
calcite growth?
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Calcite Precipitation

• Caverns of Sonora isnt
• growing much calcite!

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Project Objectives
Use GIS to determine

1. Precipitation
2. Overlying Soils
3. Land Cover

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Are differences in soil type above each cave
evident in cave dripwater geochemistry?
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Source Statsgo Soil Database
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Caverns of Sonora- MUID TX544
Natural Bridge Caverns- MUID TX105
Innerspace Caverns- MUID TX153
Source Statsgo Soil Database
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Caverns Of Sonora
Innerspace Caverns
Natural Bridge Caverns
Source Statsgo Soil Database
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Project Objectives
Use GIS to determine

1. Precipitation
2. Overlying Soils
3. Land Cover

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How do differences in land cover change the
geochemistry of the cave dripwaters?
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Source NLCD 1992 Land Cover Dataset
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Caverns of Sonora
Innerspace Caverns
Natural Bridge Caverns
Source NLCD 1992 Land Cover Dataset
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Conclusions

• GIS is a useful tool for delineating spatial
  heterogeneity over land surfaces
• GIS is useful in bringing together many different
  parameters in which relationships may exist

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Future Work

• Determine other factors (fractures, bedrock,
  evapotranspiration) that may be influencing the
  different chemical constituents that are analyzed
  in the caves
• Use tracking analyst to determine driprate and
  geochemical response to rainfall events