Chuck Sutherland

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...

Below you'll find a reasonably complete listing of state and federal public lands in the Upper Cumberland region. Some locations may be closed to the general public, so please refer to their website prior to visiting to ensure a safe and enjoyable trip. US Army Corps of Engineers Reservoirs Website Center Hill Lake Website Photos Cordell Hull Lake Website Photos Dale Hollow Lake Website Photos Old Hickory Lake Website National Park Service Lands Website Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area Website Photos Obed Wild and Scenic River Website Photos State Forests Website Bledsoe State Forest Website Photos Pickett State Forest Website Photos Scott State Forest Website Standing Stone State Forest Website Photos T...

Ruth Dyal and the excellent folks at the Upper Cumberland Tourism Association have put together a wine and chocolate tasting for this weekend; February 10, 11th & 12th, 2017. I happen to love both wine and sweets, so this seems like a great way to get out, explore, and enjoy local delicacies. Below you'll find an interactive Google map, links to an interactive ArcMap Online map, and a static map. Feel free to use or share any of these links to help us get the word out! Event Web Page Event Facebook Page ArcMap Online Interactive Map Google Map Interactive Map

I wanted to make a map of my hometown of Sparta, Tennessee using the newly available lidar from the State of Tennessee. Compared with previous maps, like the USGS 1:24,000 topographic map, the new lidar data is approximately 700 times more accurate. You'll see what I mean below. After I produced it there were just too many odd little things that were worth explaining. The first half of odd things are natural processes on the Earth that produce a specific form, or in more scientific terms, the features are of a geomorphic nature. The remainder of forms I want to share with you are human formed, or anthropogenic.  First, let's look at the map. Your web browser likely won't let you see it in full hi-res glory (the image is 4'x3' at 300 DPI, it's big at 77 megabytes), so here is a hard link to the hi-res image . Below is the stuff I thought was interesting. Feel free to follow along if you've downloaded the hi-res map. Monteagle Limestone Boulder Field ...

This begins as a standard stream delineation process beginning with a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). I'll work it step by step and show you what I've got so you can work alongside me. I'll be using a DEM from my part of the world, near Sparta, Tennessee. You are free to use a DEM from wherever you like. Generally, the same process applies. I'm using the new lidar derrived 2.5' DEMs and I'm looking at a segment of the Calfkiller River for this example. I have docked the toolbar menu and expanded Spatial Analyst > Hydrology. We'll be using a bunch of commands from there. I also have raster calculator added to my menu buttons on top, that will get some use as well. All the tools we use will be on their default settings unless otherwise stated. I follow the general naming conventions provided by the tools. You may find it useful to duplicate my naming strategy until you get a feel for it. One final note about this technique is that so far I have only u...

The Boils is a large karst spring in Jackson County, Tennessee. It is unusual for two reasons. The first is that it is quite large, and the second is that it comes out of the ground under pressure. The Boils are no secret to the folks of Jackson County, though. It's unusual waters have been a curiosity for generations inviting speculation on its source. Oddly, this feature went unnoticed by scientists until the summer of 2015, when my friend Ryan Gardner undertook describing the system that feeds The Boils as his senior thesis for his Earth Science Degree from Tennessee Tech University. Ryan assembled a team of karst specialists from the region that included Steve Anderson, Dr. Evan Hart, and myself. Ben Herrmann, while not a karst specialist, assisted with data collection and logistics (like getting me down a river of class three rapids). My goal within the project was to provide video and photo documentation up front, and on the back end provide data analysis and maps. I w...