Karst Field School
A series of courses/workshops focusing on "Field Experience in Karst" will be offered between May 18 and June 2 at East Tennessee State University (ETSU). Eastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia contain many karst features ranging from small seeps, loosing streams, and subtle subsidence to world-class springs, caves, sinkhole depressions, natural bridges, and unique karst coves. The motivation of this program is to build an active and sustainable karst field school in the southeastern Appalachian region. This program is sponsored by the School of Continuing Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, and the Department of Geosciences at ETSU.
Field School Activities:
- get extensive hands-on experience to study fundamental principles of karst hydrology and geomorphology
- investigate karst feature distributions and assess hazards in karst areas
- study water tracing and sampling techniques to understand the vulnerability of karst aquifers and human impact on fragile karst lands
- conduct both surface and subsurface surveys in karst especially around caves
- learn how to use geophysical technologies effectively in karst lands
- get experience on using cutting-edge technologies such as Geographical Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), and scientific visualization facilities to collect, analyze, and visualize cave and karst datasets