October 17, 2000

WKU Professor Working On Earthquake Risk Assessment Project For Areas With Filled Sinkholes

Bowling Green, Ky. - For Kentucky residents, October is Earthquake Preparedness Month. For Western Kentucky University geology professor
Michael May, every month is Earthquake Preparedness Month.

Dr. May's latest research project is an earthquake risk assessment of filled sinkholes in Bowling Green and southcentral Kentucky.

"This study is dealing with trying to get information on how this area would respond in an earthquake," he said. "How do sinkhole-fill areas respond in an earthquake?"

That's a major question facing a region known for a cave and karst system that's created numerous tourist attractions and topographic features, including sinkholes. As development has boomed in Bowling Green and the surrounding area, many sinkholes have been filled.

In a violent earthquake, like the one that hit the San Francisco area in 1989 or one that scientists say is long overdue for the New Madrid Seismic Zone and western Kentucky, the soil and sediment used as fill could shift and settle causing structures to drop into a filled sinkhole, Dr. May said.
"This is a potential urban hazard that people aren't aware of," he said.
Western's Geography and Geology Department and the Barren River

Development District are seeking $112,000 for the research from the U.S. Geological Survey.

In phase one, the study will locate and identify filled sinkhole areas in the BRADD region. Three filled sinkholes in Warren County will be selected for further study that will include geophysical surveys and drilling to map sinkhole-fill thickness, extent, mineralogy and particle size. In phase two, simulated earthquakes would be conducted to see how the selected fill areas respond.

Dr. May noted the research isn't intended to discourage and limit development in Bowling Green or the region. "We're trying to minimize the risk," he said.

Knowing which structures, bridges or roads are built on or near sinkhole-fill areas should help in earthquake and emergency preparedness, Dr. May said.

"This study is something that should help the Bowling Green area do expansion right," Dr. May said. "Ignoring these issues won't make them go away."

The sinkhole-fill study also has benefits for WKU geology students. They will be involved in studying old maps and photographs to determine sinkhole-fill areas and they'll use Geographic Information Systems to manage data.

Working with BRADD should help students learn more about planning issues and give them more experience when looking for jobs. "The overall effect is to help students and make Western stronger in the geosciences and the planning sectors," he said.

For more information, contact Dr. Michael May at (270) 745-6891.