Abstract: Mapping of Karst Terranes in Oklahoma to Identify Potential Environmental and Hydrologic Problems

Kenneth S. Johnson

The Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS) is mapping the distribution of karst features in the State in order to understand their potential threats to life, health, and property. Wherever highly soluble rocks, such as limestone, dolomite, gypsum, or salt, are at or near the land surface, karst develops in response to dissolution by circulating ground water. The sinkholes and caverns thus formed are potential hazards because of possible settlement or collapse of the land surface and because ground-water contaminants can travel rapidly without significant attenuation of their noxious qualities. Principal areas in Oklahoma where karst features are present in limestone and dolomite are in the Ozark Mountains in the northeast and the Arbuckle Mountains in the south. Karst terranes re present in many areas of western Oklahoma where gypsum and shallow salt deposits are common.

Areas where relatively water-soluble rocks crop out, or are in the shallow subsurface, are being identified as part of the OGS program of mapping the surface geology in all counties of the State. In most areas the mapping is done through a coordinated study by stereoscopic photo interpretation and field examination. This is a long-term program, with separate reports being released as mapping is completed for each county or area: most maps are being published at a scale of 1:62,500 or 1:63,360. In the interim, we will compile available data onto a 1:500,000-scale map to show areas in the State that may be subject to the consequences of karst development.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90957©1995 AAPG Mid-Continent Section Meeting, Tulsa, Oklahoma