Changes and Updates
The details and information for the project on this page will be updated as projects are continued or revisited. This will happen mainly for the Geochemical Analysis project, as it is ongoing and my main focus.
Geochemical Analysis of Speleothems in Bristol Caverns using XRF.
This project was brought on by a lack of definitive information on the subject of color in speleothems; many of the latest papers only look at a specific cave or a single speleothem. The aim of this study is to test many speleothems of various colors and log the results with the hope that a pattern may be identified. Even if no pattern is found, this study can hopefully be a foundation for more work done in the future.
Below is the full paper, which you can download.
Below are the references for this project:
Cross-State Geologic Unit Index (CSGUI) Project.
This project aims to create an index of stratigraphic units, noting how they change in description and name from state to state for ease of travel. This project also aims to make surveying in areas near or on state borders easier.
To do this, the first step is Geo-Referencing the maps we are working with onto the globe so they fit together as best they can. This lets us track several units across the borders, and it also makes areas that do not match very obvious, such as when a unit is differentiated in one state and not the other. (The most obvious is the Snowbird Group, which is not differentiated in TN but is in NC)
This project is complete. If you would like the Spreadsheet, Write-up, or map, please email me.
3D Cave Mapping.
A project that I will be starting, likely over the summer of 2027, is to map the entirety of Bristol Caverns with a handheld LiDAR scanner, using photogrammetry to overlay images into the 3d lidar scan, creating a virtual cave that can be used in education.
Clay Couch 