Karst Geology of the Mammoth Cave System & Surrounding Area
Unless otherwise noted, all courses are based out of Hamilton Valley Field Station, located on the border of Mammoth Cave National Park near Bowling Green, Kentucky. See Logistics page for more information.
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July 13-18, 2025
This course will focus on:
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Karst landforms and their relation to underlying geology.
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Role of groundwater in cave development and landscape evolution.
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Geological and hydrogeological controls on cave morphology
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Geological history of the Mammoth Cave System
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Karst terrains are among the most dynamic and fragile landscapes on Earth, where geo- and biochemical, hydrological, and geological processes operate on multiple timescales. This course explores the unique setting of the Mammoth Cave System—a globally significant example of a fluvio-karst system. This course combines lectures, surface and subsurface field trips, and discussion-based learning to provide an integrated understanding of karst science, with Mammoth Cave and the surrounding area as a natural laboratory.
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This multi-day course will take place at Cave Research Foundation’s Hamilton Valley Field Station located just outside of Mammoth Cave National Park. See http://karstfieldstudies.com/logistics.php for additional information about housing. Participants must be in reasonably good physical condition to negotiate the cave passages and surface hikes which are a major component of this course. Morning class sessions begin at 8:30 am and break at Noon for lunch. Afternoon sessions will begin at 1:00 pm and will typically return from field sites by 5:00 pm. There will be a two-hour break for dinner. There will be some evening sessions that feature guest speakers.
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PLEASE REVIEW the course syllabus and schedule linked below for the full scope of course expectations and schedule.
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NOTE: each course has a different registration page, so you MUST access the registration portal through this course page to register for the Karst Geology of Mammoth Cave Course.
Instructor: Dr. Pat Kambesis
Dr. Pat Kambesis received her Master's degree from Western Kentucky University. Her thesis focused on the agricultural contaminant source and transport in caves and karst in the upper Midwest of the USA. She received her Ph.D. from Mississippi State University Department of Geoscience through research that focused on the study of coastal karst and caves in the Caribbean and northeastern Yucatan Peninsula and on developing methods for morphometric analysis of caves and karst features. She has extensive national and international experience at documenting cave and karst and producing maps and other visualizations of that data. Her current research includes developing methods to better quantify and visualize cave and karst environments, morphometric characterization of hypogene caves and karst in the Western US, and the role and modelling of condensation corrosion in cave development . She currently teaches at Western Kentucky University in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Atmospheric Sciences.
CONTACT: pat.kambesis@wku.edu