KENTUCKY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
MAP AND CHART 33
Series XII, 2001
James C. Cobb, State Geologist and Director UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, LEXINGTON 88°
89°
85°
KARST OCCURRENCE IN KENTUCKY
This map was compiled from a digital version of the 1:500,000-scale geologic map of Kentucky (Noger, M.C., comp., 1988, Geologic map of Kentucky: U.S. Geological Survey). The areas of potential karst development were delineated using stratigraphic units mapped on the geologic map. The classification of the potential for karst development was based on the field experience of the authors and other data. A number of isolated carbonate units that would not have otherwise been differentiated on the geologic map were newly digitized for this map.
10
30
20
Glasgow n
R iv e
C um
lan ber
BARREN
Re
Kentucky Lake
d
m
b
d
Riv
MONROE
ALLEN
SIMPSON
Tompkinsville
CUMBERLAND
ue
Monticello WAYNE
ion
Whitley City
LAUREL
Dani el London
CLAY
Manchester
KNOX
Barbourville
Cumbe
Williamsburg
Sa
rk Fo
rt h
d
isa ev
Prestonsburg
114
Le
FLOYD BREATHITT Jackson
23
vi s
460
a or
PIKE
k
Pikeville Fishtrap Lake
80
PERRY
Buckhorn Lake
119
Carr Fork Lake
Hazard
y wa
rk
B
oo
23
Hindman
Pa
LETCHER
Hyden
Jenkins
Whitesburg
37°
ion
Corbin
75
Salyersville
LESLIE
Laurel River Lake
d rlan
rk
KNOTT
ne
yal
yro McCREARY
nd
y tle
Li t
ion s as
nt
Ke
Reg
e
CLINTON
Scottsville
WHITLEY
Reg n ai unt o Harlan e M n i P HARLAN
V
Pineville
Rive r
I
R
G
I
N
I
A
BELL
Albany Middlesboro Dale Hollow Lake
Lake Barkley
T 88°
an erl
Burkesville
Franklin r
Somerset
Lake Cumberland
Barren River Lake 65
R iv e
y RUSSELL
80
Jamestown
METCALFE
R eg
Re gi on
ADAIR
d
Edmonton
r
a Parkw
R iv e
r rre
Columbia
Cu
CALLOWAY
Sa
PULASKI
r
OWSLEY
JACKSON
Wood Creek Lake
Fo
MARTIN Dewey Lake
No
Booneville McKee
Inez
Paintsville
MAGOFFIN
LEE Beattyville Mid
r
CASEY
GREEN
65
ve
Liberty
r
Parkway
lt
Munfordville
ESTILL
Lake Linville ROCKCASTLE
Campbellsville
Cave City
Ba
Ri
Pe nn
Green
Irvine
ve
Pa r k way
Mountain Campton WOLFE
So
Ea ste rn
n
Brownsville
Pennyrile
e
Ri v e r
EDMONSON
O
r u te
Mt. Vernon
Green River Lake
River
Stanton
Berea
LINCOLN
Greensburg
POWELL
gr
R VE RI
IS
O
IN
Pur ch as
ion Ob
R
Stanford
HART
Bl
i
Tu g
L
JOHNSON
rk
R IV E
r
Lancaster
TAYLOR
Nolin Lake
Morgantown
LOGAN
GARRARD
BOYLE
GRAYSON Pa r k w a y
Russellville Elkton
MADISON
MARION Lebanon
Hodgenville
Richmond
ck
38°
F
R iv e
ky
Li
MENIFEE
Paintsville Lake
Fo
k
Re g i o
uc
Herrington Lake
23
West Liberty
le
PI
Harrodsburg
R
75
ed
MORGAN
Frenchburg
rk
SIP
k
Riv er
WASHINGTON
LARUE
WARREN
Hopkinsville
MERCER
r
S a ndy
lin
R iv e
Nicholasville
e
g
or
CLARK
JESSAMINE
P
V I R G I N I A
LAWRENCE
Sandy Hook
Ri
No
r
Bowling Green
CHRISTIAN
Bardstown
ay arkw
Danville
BUTLER
Pennyroyal
Winchester
Springfield
Leitchfield
r
LEXINGTON
W E S T
Louisa
ELLIOTT
Mt. Sterling MONTGOMERY
64
FAYETTE
ANDERSON
Grass
Blu
Cave Run Lake
Fo
ve
MUHLENBERG
24
NELSON
g
y Ri
Versailles
Morehead
Owingsville
WOODFORD
23
Grayson Lake
ROWAN
64
BATH
Paris
Inner Bluegrass Region
CARTER
Grayson
ng
Rive
Georgetown
64
h
SIS
Catlettsburg
BOYD
Fo r k
ugh
OHIO
Gree n
TODD
Rive r
MIS
Ashland
FLEMING g
River
BOURBON
64
Lawrenceburg
kin
ut
rk
TRIGG
Hickman FULTON
89°
Greenbo Lake
LEWIS
x
Cadiz
lin
HARDIN
Lake Malone
Mayfield
FRANKFORT
L ic
Carlisle
Di
r
Greenville
Western
BULLITT
F
Hartford
uck
r
R
Ro
Pa r
K e nt
Western
Lake Beshear
Princeton
ve
HOPKINS
LYON
Murray
R
Eddyvillle
Ri
McLEAN
Madisonville
k
MARSHALL
FRANKLIN
Taylorsville Riv er Lake
Elizabethtown
y
CALDWELL
C la rk s
Fo
e
way
Park
MASON
NICHOLAS
SCOTT
SHELBY
Rough River Lake
wa
ater
Ri v e r
Benton
265
SPENCER
65
BRECKINRIDGE
r
WEBSTER
ive
Hardinsburg
Owensboro
che
We s t
eek
GRAVES
or
Greenup GREENUP
ROBERTSON
75
Shelbyville
Shepherdsville
ol
HANCOCK
Parkway
Nat
berland
t F
Cr
HICKMAN Clinton
r
Po nd
Eas
CARLISLE C r e ek
en R
ld
Bardwell
MISSOURI
ive
DAVIESS
River
M a y fi e
O H IO
Hawesville
HENDERSON
Dixon
e
Vanceburg
Fo rk
Bi
JEFFERSON
S a lt
Gre
Henderson Aud ubo n
d
Wickliffe
ss
HARRISON
R I V ER
Maysville
N o rth
Cynthiana
Guist Creek Lake
64
MEADE
Smithland
Te n n e
BRACKEN
O
Flemingsburg
er
LOUISVILLE 264
Brandenburg
R
McCRACKEN
OHI
Brooksville
Mt. Olivet
Riv
OLDHAM
Taylorsville
Tr a
37°
Williamstown
cky
N
A
65
Calhoun
Ri.
BALLARD
ntu
A
I
D
N
I
UNION
24
Ke
Areas underlain by bedrock with limited or no potential for karst development
LIVINGSTON
PADUCAH
Kincaid Lake
New Castle
71
La Grange
Areas underlain by bedrock with moderate potential for karst development
ew
VE
O
r
Williamstown Falmouth Lake
OWEN
HENRY
L
Cum
ive
PENDLETON
GRANT
I
CAMPBELL
Bullock Pen Lake Boltz Lake
CARROLL Carrollton
H
Alexandria
Owenton
Areas underlain by bedrock with high potential for karst development
Marion
RI
KENTON
71
Warsaw GALLATIN
50 Kilometers
40
EXPLANATION
CRITTENDEN
O
75
O g
rk
0
Bedford
Morganfield
O HI
Independence
in
Fo
10
TRIMBLE
Karst regions are susceptible to unique problems such as sinkhole collapse, sinkhole flooding, and rapid groundwater pollution. Springs in karst areas are an important, productive source of groundwater. Rare biologic communities and endangered species can be found in the fragile underground environments developed in karst landscapes.
© 2002, University of Kentucky, Kentucky Geological Survey
ck
71
40 Miles
where the topography is formed chiefly by the dissolving of rock. Karst landscapes are commonly characterized by sinkholes, sinking streams, closed depressions, subterranean drainage, large springs, and caves.
IL
39°
uth
N
30
20
Karst is a terrane that is generally underlain by limestone or dolomite,
For information on obtaining copies of this map and other Kentucky Geological Survey maps and publications call: Publication Sales 859.257.3896 View the KGS World Wide Web site at www.uky.edu/kgs
275
Burlington BOONE
Li
So
10
0
82°
471
R
This karst map should not be used for evaluating karst geologic hazards or hydrogeology at scales larger than 1:500,000. The base geologic map was digitized at 1:500,000 scale and is limited in precision to that scale. Because of the small scale of the original geologic map, lithostratigraphic units were consolidated into thicker chronostratigraphic units to create an area large enough to delineate on the geologic map. In some cases, the consolidation resulted in carbonates (limestone or dolomite) and noncarbonates (sandstone or shale, for example) being grouped; these rocks are not redivided on this map. Although the potential for karst development can be predicted from lithology, other factors such as relief and length of time the rock is exposed are also important and were not considered in the making of this map. Finally, areas where the near-surface bedrock is insoluble and closely underlain by soluble rock are common, particularly in the Eastern Pennyroyal. Conduits that pirate drainage commonly extend through ridges capped with insoluble rocks. Therefore, some areas mapped as having limited potential that are adjacent to areas of higher potential are actually karst, but cannot be differentiated on this map.
38°
275
Randall L. Paylor and James C. Currens
10
83°
84°
Newport COVINGTON
Out er Blu eg ra ss
39°
86°
87°
87°
E
N
N 86°
E
S
S
E 85°
E
Cartography by Terry Hounshell 84°
83°
82°
