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Studies on Glaciated Karst in New York and New England

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Glaciation and Speleogenesis

Part of the book series: Cave and Karst Systems of the World ((CAKASYWO))

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Abstract

The modern scientific study of glaciation, speleogenesis and karst development began in New York in the 1960s and 1970s, with major contributions from Vic Baker, Steve Egemeier, Ernst Kastning, John Mylroie, and Arthur and Margaret Palmer, all working in the Helderberg Plateau of central New York. They demonstrated that large, pre-glacial cave systems existed, and these caves had been modified by glaciation, primarily as a result of base-level changes, backflooding, and sediment occlusion. Their work and subsequent efforts in the 1980s and 1990s hypothesized post-glacial cave development as an outcome of deranged surficial drainage. The 1990s and 2000s saw new cave discoveries as a result of application of the previous glaciated karst models, and the refinement of karst drainage basins by dye tracing, which also lead to new cave discoveries. The application of U/Th dating to caves in the Helderberg Plateau demonstrated conclusively that the major cave systems had survived multiple glaciations in the Pleistocene. Comparison between marble caves in Norway and those in the northeastern US demonstrated much commonality of form and speleogenesis. Recent work has demonstrated glaciolacustrine deposits in caves, and that shallow maze caves of this region are post-glacial in origin. Research moved beyond the Helderberg Plateau region to the glaciated marbles of western New England, where post-glacial caves appear to dominate. The major impact of glaciation is now viewed as significant base level changes affecting flow routes, joint activation by glacial unloading, and sediment deposition in caves that creates additional backflooding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geosciences, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, USA

    Max P. Cooper & John E. Mylroie

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  1. Max P. Cooper
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  2. John E. Mylroie
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Correspondence to Max P. Cooper .

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Cooper, M.P., Mylroie, J.E. (2015). Studies on Glaciated Karst in New York and New England. In: Glaciation and Speleogenesis. Cave and Karst Systems of the World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16534-9_3

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