Chuck Sutherland

This is intended to serve as a table of contents for existing, and future articles on the physiography of the Southeast United States. Cumberland Plateau Geology How it got here Crossbedding Fossils Liesegang Rings Minerals Sandstone as a Resource Tafoni Geography Natural Arches Overlooks Rivers Rock Shelters Slot Canyons / Caves Rock Towns Waterfalls Eastern Highland Rim Geology How it Got Here Pennington Formation Bangor Limestone Hartselle Sandstone Monteagle Limestone St. Louis Limestone Warsaw Limestone Fort Payne Limestone Chattanooga Shale Minerals ...

This is a map showing the density and distribution of caves in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia (KTAG). The strong line of density extending north-east from the intersection of Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia shows the western escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau where Mississippian aged limestones outcrop and are exposed to weathering processes. At the southern end of the Cumberland Plateau it becomes more heavily dissected, with islands of Plateau present amidst the Highland Rim. Along the margins of these islands caves can be exposed, which explains the dispersion at the southern extent of the Plateau. Central and Western Kentucky show a secondary area of cave density; a ring of Mississippian aged carbonates has been exposed from the weathering of the Cincinnati Arch. Mammoth Cave resides in the densest part of this region. This map was created using data from the following sources: Alabama Cave Survey (ACS) Georgia Speleological Society (GSS) Kentucky Spele...

This map represents the generalized distribution of cave entrances in Kentucky based on data from the 2017 release of the Kentucky Speleological Society (the data is generalized by 7.5 minute quadrangle). A few easily observable patterns exist and are worth description. The line of density which extends northeast / southwest shows the margin of the Cumberland Plateau where Mississippian aged limestones outcrop. The ring of density west of there is the Inner Bluegrass Karst region where erosion of the Cincinnati Arch has exposed Middle Ordovician carbonates. The dense area centered at Edmonson, Hart, and Barren counties represents the Mammoth cave region and the caves of the Pennyroyal plateau. Mammoth Cave is still the world's longest cave, with a newly announced length of 412 miles. The most cave entrance dense quadrangle recorded is Johnetta in Rockcastle County, but this is likely only sampling bias. This bias could occur because caves are easier to get to, or more lik...

Table of Contents How it Got Here Geology Pennington Formation Bangor Limestone Hartselle Sandstone Monteagle Limestone St. Louis Limestone Warsaw Limestone Fort Payne Limestone Chattanooga Shale Minerals Calcite Chert Gypsum Quartz Fossils Crinoids Brachiopods Corals Stromatolites Regional Geology Presentation (2 hours) How it Got Here During the Mississippian period , approximately 380 to 320 million years ago, the Eastern Highland Rim was formed through the deposition of sediments. At that time, a large, shallow sea covered the interior of the United States, providing a habitat for corals and other creatures that primarily created their shells from calcium carbonate. As these organisms died, their remains accumulated on the ocean floor, forming deep layers of limestone that have full of aquatic fossils. In other places, the shells dissolved and deposited as lime mud. As the conti...