Geological Research at the IGS

IGS Miscellaneous Map: Sinkhole Development Risk in south-central Indiana

Status Start Date End Date Locations
completed Jan 1, 2015 Dec 31, 2015 Bartholomew, Brown, Clark, Crawford, Daviess, Decatur, Dubois, Floyd, Gibson, Greene,
Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange,
Perry, Pike, Ripley, Rush, Scott, Spencer, Vanderburgh, Wabash, Warrick, Washington
Director: Sally Letsinger
Other Researchers: Matthew Johnson, Kevin Russell, Deborah DeChurch
Issue: Management of land, including forest land, in Indiana needs to take into consideration not only known areas of existing karst development, but also areas that have high probabilities of sinkhole development.
Objective: Identify both existing areas of karst development in south-central Indiana, along with identification of the spatial distribution of areas with high probabilities of karst or sinkhole development.
Approach: Use geographic information systems (GIS) technology and databases, along with statistical modeling methods, to identify existing areas of karst development to rank the most important factors of limestone dissolution in Indiana, and then use that information to identify areas that meet the established criteria.
Products: IGS map in the Miscellaneous Map series showing the risk of potential sinkhole development in the watersheds encompassing the Mitchell Plateau in south-central Indiana (and northern Kentucky).
Benefits: The results of this study will facilitate safe and effective management of land in a geologically and hydrogeologically sensitive environmental setting.
Publications:
Map showing sinkhole development risk in south-central Indiana and north-central Kentucky

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