Karst modeling and hazard assessment on the Pennyroyal Plain and Western Highland Rim

The Pennyroyal Plain of Kentucky and the Western Highland Rim of Tennessee provide a 25,000 karst-depression population for detailed study of karst landform evolution. Application of the contagion model and cogent logistic growth functions revealed fundamental Principles governing the initiation and evolution of this complex, multifaceted karst geomorphic system. Accurate mapping of karst depressions is a complex process involving multiple data sets with high resolution and the development of a spatial database containing relevant geologic and geomorphic karst parameters. Implementation of spatial analysis and a geographic information system is necessary for spatial data presentation and developing karst hazards predictions. Rates of urban development in the karst landscape of the Western Highland Rim are among the highest in the southeastern United States. Therefore, understanding karst evolution, mapping karst landforms and developing hazards maps are important goals for efficient land use and urban planning. This paper develops a link between quantitative assessment of karst terrane and application of spatial coregionalization theory