Effects of lithology on solution development in carbonate aquifers |
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| Authors: | Shirley J Dreiss |
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| Institution: | Board of Earth Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | Groundwater flow in karst aquifers is extremely difficult to predict because of the presence of solution-enlarged fractures and conduits in the bedrock. The location and volume of this solution development is the result of interrelated geologic, hydrologic and climatic factors. This paper examines lithologic properties which influence apparent solution rates in carbonate aquifers as indicated by weathered profiles in caverns. Rock samples collected from cavern entrances and walls in southwestern Missouri, U.S.A., were analyzed for grain size, sorting, percent quartz, percent magnesium carbonate, percent opaque minerals and percent acid-insoluble residue. Discriminant function analyses of these measurements show that grain size is the most important parameter in distinguishing the grouping of apparently resistant and non-resistant samples. Small grain size favors dissolution and strongly influences the relief of the weathered profile regardless of rock composition. Significant variability in magnesium carbonate content may also affect the apparent solution rate but to a lesser degree than grain size. |
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