Prediction of Areas Sensitive to Fertilizer Application in Thinly-Soiled Karst

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1 Prediction of Areas Sensitive to Fertilizer Application in Thinly-Soiled Karst Paul L. Richards, Jill Libby, Alex Kuhl, Tim Daniluk, Mike Lyzwa with contribution by the theses of Sarah Rhinehart, Cal Payne, Bernard Voorhandt and Gejs Simons The College at Brockport 350 Newcampus Drive Brockport, NY 14420

2 GOAL Map karst geologic features in Genesee County that are likely to be openings into the groundwater zone where filtering by soils is limited

3 STUDY AREA Onondaga Formation Genesee County Leroy -Caledonia

4 BACKGROUND

5 PREVIOUS WORK Fairchild et al (1909) Palmer (multiple papers) Rhinehart Thesis (2005) Voortman and Simons Thesis (2009) ( 1992 ) Fronk Thesis Phase 2 DEC Reports Lehigh Valley RR Spill Lapp Industries Target Machine

6 Palmer ( 1981 ) GSA Bulletin V. 103 p Post Glacial Modification by Scouring or burial + Presence of some Pop-up Ridges

model made by compositing all of the 1:24K DEMS in

7 METHODOLOGY Identify depressions initially by mapping sinks from an unfilled digital elevation model made by compositing all of the 1:24K DEMS in the study area. Fracture traces and hydrography were then added.

8 METHODOLOGY Evaluate 2005 Aerial Photography to identify suspicious wetlands and flooded areas. Add soils that are known to be thin.

9 METHODOLOGY Overlay Quaternary Geology Maps and conduct Field Surveys.

10 METHODOLOGY Other clues

11 METHODOLOGY Based on previous research and field surveys of over 60 suspicious features we classified our sites into six different types: Anthropogenic: Looks like a sinkhole, but is either an active or inactive quarry. Solution sinkholes: Deep, steeply-sided collapse features Pattern Sinkholes: Surface expression of multiple shallow sinkholes and pop-up ridges. Glacially enhanced sinkhole: Ground Moraine depression interpreted to be located over a karst related depression or a fracture pattern sinkhole that was further scoured by glacial processes. Ground Moraine Depression: Depressional feature caused purely glacial processes Scoured Bedrock: Fractured bedrock with little or no soil that has been scoured, presumably by glacial meltwater.

- Is the feature too circular or oval with an orientation axis parallel to a road or

12 Anthropogenic: Looks like a sinkhole, but is either an active or inactive quarry. because - Is it close to a transportation corridor? - Is the feature too circular or oval with an orientation axis parallel to a road or other transportation feature? - Large amounts of exposed bedrock on floors and walls of blasting and or other quarry activities?

$- Commonly on fracture traces and or intersections of fracture traces - Occasionally streams terminate in$

13 Solution sinkholes: Collapse features with significant amounts of fresh bedrock. - Steep sided sinkhole, often V shaped. - Large blocks of limestone at the base, sometimes floating in sediment and soil. - Commonly on fracture traces and or intersections of fracture traces - Occasionally streams terminate in these features - Hydrologically active in the early spring, sometimes appear as flooded areas in the 2005 Aerial photographs

- Shallow undulating areas with irregular shaped topographic highs and lows.

14 Pattern Sinkholes: The surface expression of systems of sinkhole collapses that have been covered up with sediment. Cover broad areas. - Shallow undulating areas with irregular shaped topographic highs and lows. - Bedrock fragments sometimes present in topographic lows. - Occasional streams terminate in these features - Associated with wetlands - Evidence of shallow bedrock nearby

$Glacially enhanced sinkhole: Glacial depression interpreted to be located over a karst related depression or a fracture pattern sinkhole that was further scoured by glacial processes.$

15 Glacially enhanced sinkhole: Glacial depression interpreted to be located over a karst related depression or a fracture pattern sinkhole that was further scoured by glacial processes. - Depressional feature in mapped ground moraine coinciding with a fracture trace but with little or no evidence of blocky limestone in soil or crop fields - Farmer rock fences do not contain large blocks of limestone. - Evidence of shallow bedrock nearby (gas log, building foundation ( bedrock built on

. - Large, rolling depressional feature with no evidence of large

16 Ground Moraine depression: Glacial depression interpreted to be caused by purely glacial processes.. - Large, rolling depressional feature with no evidence of large subangular limestone in soil or crop fields. - Does not align with a fracture trace - No evidence of shallow bedrock

$- Exposed fractured, bedrock - Flat, does not occur in a depression - Commonly covered with weeds and shrubbery$

17 Scoured Bedrock: Fractured bedrock with little or no soil that has been scoured, presumably by glacial meltwater. - Exposed fractured, bedrock - Flat, does not occur in a depression - Commonly covered with weeds and shrubbery

20 DC-6 Quinlan Rd Sinkhole DC-3 DC-11

21 WT Fluctuation (ft) Groundwater Correlation Sinkhole DC-3 DC-6 DC Julian Day

22 CONCLUSIONS 31 Sites of concern were identified in this study Several of these sites are hydrologically active in the early spring, and experience significant water table rises consistent with the hypothesis of Groundwater Mounding. These sites should be flagged for extra protection. Fracture trace analyses and Aerial photography proved useful for identifying possible sites of concern However, field surveys are essential in this process for confirming interpretations and was useful for identifying scoured bedrock zones which do NOT appear as topographic depressions

Acknowledgments Funding provided by 2008 grants from the NYSWRI and USGS EDMAP Program Thanks to our colleagues James Craft (DEC Region 8) and George Squires (Genesee County SWCD) for taking us to

23 Acknowledgments Funding provided by 2008 grants from the NYSWRI and USGS EDMAP Program Thanks to our colleagues James Craft (DEC Region 8) and George Squires (Genesee County SWCD) for taking us to some of these sites and assisting us with interpretation. Many thanks to the landowners: Stuart Freeman, Phil McBirney, Charles Verney, the Rhineharts, and Donn Branton, who graciously allowed us to monitor their wells, instrument their property and showed us some really cool karst features.

The Favorability of Florida s Geology to Sinkhole Formation

Florida Geological Survey The Favorability of Florida s Geology to Sinkhole Formation Clint Kromhout Alan Baker October 24, 2017 Subsidence Report Database Map of Subsidence Incident Reports taken from