Livingston County, Kentucky

 

GEOLOGIC HAZARDS

 

Many concealed and exposed faults are located throughout Livingston County. Currently there is no evidence that these faults are active. Because of the close proximity of Livingston County  to the New Madrid Seismic Zone, however, strong earthquake activity is a possibility.

 

Soil creep, slumps, and landslides along steep slopes may occur from erosion or ground motion associated with a strong earthquake. Areas associated with alluvium material are subject to liquefaction during a strong earthquake. These areas are also subject to flooding. Soils derived from alluvium deposits have a moderate to high shrink-swell capacity, which may affect structural foundations and roads. Flood information is available from the Kentucky Division of Water, Flood Plain Management Branch, www.water.ky.gov/floods/.

 

 

  As seen in this picture, lowing lying areas along the Ohio, Cumberland, and Tennessee Rivers, in Livingston County, are prone   to flooding. During the 1997 flood, Ohio River flood water was 3.5 feet deep in this house. (Photo courtesy of Sheena Thomas-  Brown, Livingston County 4-H/Youth Development Agent.)

 

 

EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS

 

Peak ground acceleration at the top of rock that will probably occur in the next 500 years in Kentucky

Although we do not know when and where the next major earthquake will occur, we do know that an earthquake will cause damage. Damage severity depends on many factors, such as earthquake magnitude, the distance from the epicenter, and local geology. Information on earthquake effects is obtained by monitoring earthquakes and performing research. Such information is vital for earthquake hazard mitigation and risk reduction.

 

The most important information for seismic-hazard mitigation and risk reduction is ground-motion hazard. One way of predicting ground-motion hazard is by determining the peak ground acceleration (PGA) that may occur in a particular timeframe. The map above shows the PGA at the top of bedrock that will likely occur within the next 500 years in Kentucky (Street and others, 1996). It shows, as expected, that PGA would be greatest in far western Kentucky near the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Ground-motion hazard maps for the central United States and other areas are available from the U.S. Geological Survey. These maps are used to set general policies on mitigating damage. For example, maps produced by the USGS in 1996 were used to determine seismic design in building codes. For additional information pertaining to earthquake hazards visit the Kentucky Geological Survey website at www.uky.edu/KGS/geologichazards/geologichazards.html.

 

 

GROUNDWATER

 

Wells in the Ohio River alluvium yield several hundred gallons per minute; compound horizontal wells have a potential yield as high as 5,000 gallons per minute. In most of Livingston County, drilled wells in the uplands are adequate for a domestic supply. Yields as high as 50 gallons per minute have been reported from wells penetrating large solution channels or fault zones. In the low-lying areas along the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers and the tributaries to the Ohio River, most wells are inadequate for domestic use, unless the well intercepts a major solution opening in the limestone, and then the yield could be very large. In the uplands of the southern section of the county, between the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers, most wells in gravel do not yield enough water for a domestic supply. Springs with flows ranging from a few gallons per minute to 177 gallons per minute are found in the county. Minimum flow generally occurs in early fall; maximum flows in late winter. For more information on groundwater in the county, see Carey and Stickney (2001).

 

  Limestone springs, such as Gum Spring pictured above, are located throughout Livingston County. Most of these springs flow year around and are used as drinking-water sources. Photo by Glynn Beck, Kentucky Geological Survey.

 

 

 

KARST

 

 

 

 

 

Never use sinkholes as dumps. All waste, but especially pesticides, paints, household chemicals, automobile batteries, and used motor oil, should be taken to an appropriate recycling center or landfill.

 

Make sure runoff from parking lots, streets, and other urban areas is routed through a detention basin and sediment trap to filter it before it flows into a sinkhole.

 

Make sure your home septic system is working properly and that it's not discharging sewage into a crevice or sinkhole.

 

Keep cattle and other livestock out of sinkholes and sinking streams. There are other methods of providing water to livestock.

 

See to it that sinkholes near or in crop fields are bordered with trees, shrubs, or grass buffer strips. This will filter runoff flowing into sinkholes and also keep tilled areas away from sinkholes.

 

Construct waste-holding lagoons in karst areas carefully, to prevent the bottom of the lagoon from collapsing, which would result in a catastrophic emptying of waste into the groundwater.

 

If required, develop a groundwater protection plan (410KAR5:037) or an agricultural water-quality plan (KRS224.71) for your land use.

 

(From Currens, 2001)

 

 

  Sinkholes are common karst features throughout Livingston County. Sinkholes commonly form in row crop fields as small openings, 1 to 2 feet in diameter, as seen above. Without proper management, these sinkholes can form depressions that are tens of feet in diameter. Photo by Glynn Beck, Kentucky Geological Survey.

 

 

Sinkholes are natural drainage points for groundwater and should never be used as trash dumps. One way to protect sinkholes is by using geosynthetic materials and rip-rap, which help to control further soil erosion. Pictured above is a sinkhole that has been protected on the T.L. Maddux Farm in Livingston County. This sinkhole protection was funded by the Kentucky Soil Erosion and Water Quality Cost Share Program through the Livingston County Conservation District. Photo by Glynn Beck, Kentucky Geological Survey.

About karst

More about karst

 

RESOURCES

 

  The 40-year-old Barkley Dam, constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, provides flood protection along the Cumberland   River, and produces hydroelectric power. Barkley Dam has a generating capacity of 148 megawatts. Photo by Glynn Beck, Kentucky Geological Survey.

 

Limestone is an abundant rock in Livingston County. Currently, there are two active limestone quarries in Livingston County; Vulcan Materials Reed Quarry (pictured above) and Martin Marietta Aggregates' Three Rivers Quarry. Combined, these companies employ approximately 350 people and produce approximately 13 million tons of crushed stone per year. Photo by Glynn Beck, Kentucky Geological Survey.