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The first regional inventory of karst activity in the Valley and Ridge Province of East Tennessee was performed as a part of ongoing studies at Oak Ridge National Laboratory pertaining to environmental impact assessment of waste disposal in karst settings. More than half the land area in the Valley and Ridge Province of East Tennessee is underlain by karst-prone carbonate bedrock. The regional karst inventory was initiated to obtain current information on the extent of active karst subsidence in the region for use in decision making by the Department of Energy in planning future waste disposal facilities at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The inventory was performed by contacting personnel of federal, state, and county agencies to obtain reports of known active karst subsidence within the region. Data from these interviews were tabulated resulting in identificaton of more than 250 karst subsidence incidents in East Tennessee, most of which have occurred since 1980. Although the information obtained was largely anecdotal, approximate location, date, size, and circumstances under which the collapses occurred were recorded for as many cases as could be documented. The study also included detailed reconnaissance of selected areas similar in geology and hydrology to a study area at Oak Ridge, Tennessee to identify causative factors which contribute to karst subsidence in the region and for comparison of the occurrence of visible karst features at different sites. Human activities affecting site hydrology such as large scale land clearing and earthmoving projects were related to most of the subsidence incidents inventoried.
A data collection form was developed for use in compiling information in the inventory. Information sources included files on subsidence, state and county highway departments, county agents and executives, soil conservation service representative, etc. Data obtained included location, date of occurrence, number of subsidence features at the reported site, size, topographic setting, geologic setting, and probable causative factors. The regional inventory obtained information on over 300 historic subsidence events at more than 200 sites in East Tennessee. Areas having the greatest areal density of active subsidence include Hamblen, Jefferson, and Loudon Counties. Reported subsidence events occurred between 1945 and 1986. The Knox Group dolomites account for about two-thirds of all reported sinkholes in the inventory. Most of the karst activity occurs in valleys or flat areas. In cases where causative factors could be established, the combination of surface water drainage alteration or impoundment combined with soil disturbance associated with construction activity were most often precursors to subsidence. 54 refs., 10 figs., 4 tabs.
Engineers from around the world recount in this volume their successes and failures in attempting to deal with unique and quixotic landscapes.
Work in the respective areas included assessment of conditions related to sinkhole development. Information collected and assessed involved geology, hydrogeology, land use, lineaments and linear trends, identification of karst features and zones, and inventory of historical sinkhole development and type. Karstification of the candidate, Rhea County, and Morristown study areas, in comparison to other karst areas in Tennessee, can be classified informally as youthful, submature, and mature, respectively. Historical sinkhole development in the more karstified areas is attributed to the greater degree of structural deformation by faulting and fracturing, subsequent solutioning of bedrock, thinness of residuum, and degree of development by man. Sinkhole triggering mechanisms identified are progressive solution of bedrock, water-level fluctuations, piping, and loading. 68 refs., 18 figs., 11 tabs.