Geomorphology of Kentucky – Potential Impact on Land-use and Watersheds William M Andrews Jr., Ph.D., P.G. Head, Geologic Mapping Section Kentucky Geological Survey CPE Summer PD 2015 University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky Monday, July 6, 2015
Landform Regions
Soils
Land-Use Patterns
Geology
Geology & Geomorphology Chemistry Biology & Paleontology Physics
Economics Culture & Sociology History Politics Engineering & Construction Transportation Ecology Agriculture Land Use Hazards Soils Geotechnical Landforms Resources Geology & Geomorphology Hydrology
BLUEGRASS REGION Calcareous shales, Outer Bluegrass (Ordovician) Interbedded Limestones-Shales (Ordovician) Phosphatic Limestones, Inner Bluegrass (Ordovician) Alluvial Colluvial Glacial till, northern KY (Quaternary)
Inner Bluegrass Outer Bluegrass
Dominantly Limestone Limestone and Shale
Phosphate-rich Limestone
Fayette County stone fences
Franklin County distillery
Fayette County horse farm
Modern horse farms only in limited area Historical records suggest wider distribution in past Certain areas better suited for horses, geologically. Geology of Horse Farms
KNOBS REGION Calcareous gray shales (Silurian) Acid black and gray shales (Devonian) Dolomitic sandstones (Mississippian) Lacustrine sediments (Quaternary) Alluvial Colluvial
Berea “Skyline”
Knobs
Sandstone Platform Shale and Siltstone Slopes Limestone Caprock
Limestone Caprock
Black shale
Diagram of Muldraugh Hill and Development of the Knobs area. Muldraugh Hill is a cuesta, or escarpment, capped with Middle Mississippian limestones and sandstones. The Knobs are erosion remnants carved by stream erosion. Initially they may be flat-topped, but as the resistant cap is removed and softer shales and siltstones are exposed to weathering processes they take the shape of cones.
MOUNTAIN & EASTERN COALFIELDS REGION Sandstones (Pennsylvanian) Shales (Pennsylvanian) Siltstones (Pennsylvanian) Alluvial Colluvial
Harlan County coal mine
Appalachian Plateau coal fields
William Andrews Kentucky Geological Survey