州立大学教授的天坑研究目标是朗兹县南部
February 4, 1999
99-66
州立大学教授的天坑研究目标是朗兹县南部
Dr. Drew Hyatt is fascinated by the structure of sinkholes, and
interested in how they may be conduits for polluting our drinking
water.
The assistant professor in the 美高梅博彩 Physics,
Astronomy and Geosciences Department went on an expedition to study
the earthen marvels in December and early January-making the short
trek to southern Lowndes County. Hyatt and colleague Dr. Robert
Gilbert from Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada,
conducted seismic mapping beneath five lakes in the Lake Park
area-all likely formed by sinkholes thousands of years ago. Hyatt
investigated the thickness of the sediment, trying to learn more
about how surface water can use the caved-in soil to seep quickly
into the deep groundwater aquifer that underlies Valdosta.
"These lakes represent critical access points where contaminated
surface water potentially could compromise the quality of
Valdosta's primary source of drinking water," Hyatt said.
While Hyatt's research focuses on the environmental record of
sinkholes, his data on groundwater interaction may be useful to
researchers who specialize in groundwater pollution.
"There is very interesting information in these sediment layers
that can tell us how the environment has changed over time," Hyatt
said.
By using a device that transmits an acoustic energy pulse through
the water and then the lake bottom, Hyatt is constructing images of
the sinkholes' structures. When completed, the images will
hopefully provide a better view of how surface water can make its
way through the soil below, Hyatt said. Preliminary results are
expected to be presented in the fall.
Hyatt, who joined the vs上 faculty in 1993, began extensively
researching South Georgia sinkholes during the Flood of 1994. Hyatt
and colleagues studied some of the more than 300 sinkholes that
collapsed around Albany as heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm
Alberto and overflow from the Flint River saturated the soil. The
large caverns in the soil, which can appear on the surface without
warning, are usually formed when an open cavity is left under a
weak topsoil layer. Large amounts of rainfall can weaken the soil,
causing the top layer to collapse into the cavity below-taking
everything on the surface with it.
In the future, Hyatt plans to continue his studies of sinkholes in
the South Georgia region. He would also like to pursue the creation
of "sinkhole susceptibility maps" for Lowndes County. Hyatt
explained that once you know where past sinkholes have formed, and
if you take into account factors like soil composition and sediment
thickness, it may be possible to predict where future sinkholes
will form. This could have practical applications for businesses
and homeowners in sinkhole-prone areas, Hyatt said.
For more information on Hyatt's sinkhole research, go to his Web
page: /~jhyatt/
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