3.00 Credits
A graduate-level course that makes use of seminar, lecture, lab analysis, field work, and problem sets to study the geomorphology and hydrology of karst landscapes. Karst is a term used to describe a characteristic landscape that forms on soluble bedrock. The individual landforms might include caves, springs, and sinkholes, all of which form as water flows through the system over time. Emphasis will be placed on the study of landform assemblages, particularly in different climates across the globe, hydrologic methods, geochemical processes, and the theories of cave formation. The course will also examine field water chemistry sampling protocol, make use of numerous field instruments, and examine aspects of groundwater dye tracing. Real-world, practical, issues such as sinkhole flooding, groundwater contamination and monitoring, and sinkhole collapse will also be addressed, with many examples coming from Pennsylvanias Cumberland Valley.