Clear Waters From Clear Fork River

Notice the V-Shaped Valley in the upper left corner
There is a creek that runs through there and will empty into
the Clear Fork of the Cumberland River just
downstream from here.

Many people have a river or creek that runs through their village, town or city.  Especially if they live in Karstic regions in moderate zones.  Take, for example, the Ozark Plateau or the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas along with, Southeast Kentucky and Northeast Tennessee, down the western slopes of the Southern Appalachian Mountains! 

But what if there are some rapids like the image to the left, the "Train Wreck Rapids," as it is affectionately known by whitewater enthusiasts, that is on the river or stream that is floating by? The Clear Fork of the Cumberland River is no exception to the rules that many other Karstic rivers have.

Map of the Clear Fork Basin

The Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas has ridges that run east to west.  This is why rivers generally flow eastward there.  The Appalachian Mountains has a series of ridges that run southwest to northeast. It would make sense that rivers in this area will flow downhill following these paths.  Of course, rivers will form valleys by cutting their beds, moving sediments downstream, changing courses over time, creating their own little flood valley.  

Erosion is taking place here.
Notice how the rainwater over many years have
cut through the ground, creating it's own
stream-bed.  This may become a stream one of
these days!

Clear Fork starts in Bell County, Kentucky, where Tennessee and Virginia border in the southeast corner.  This would make it real close to the Cumberland Gap.  The river runs southwest to west southwest, (which tells us that the elevation is getting lower in this direction) entering the state of Tennessee, where it continues to flow in a southwesterly direction and then curves to the west and northwest.  When the river starts to flow northerly, there must be a ridge just to the south of where the river bends.  There is an opening to the west that is lower than the south, therefore, Clear Fork will take a westerly then a northerly direction, as it continues to go downhill.  Clear Fork reenters the State of Kentucky in the county just to the west of it's origin, Whitley County.  Here, the river flows into the Cumberland, just east of Williamsburg, the county seat.

A road runs right by the Clear Fork (to the right of the road).
The cliff face to the left was made by human activity
when creating a path for this road.

The Clear Fork River, right before flowing into the
Cumberland River just east of Williamsburg, KY

In Claibourne County, Tennessee, there is a city that sits where Interstate 75 goes north into Kentucky (also where the river is).  This town is Jellico and it is the home of the Clear Fork Watershed Council.  I know, because I have a cousin, Derek Douglas, who is heavily involved with that Community Organization.  It is he, that I must thank for posting these fascinating photos, which he so kindly allows me to publish here!  For more information, please visit their facebook page, 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Clear-Fork-Watershed-Council/141815149225594

That's a nice looking cliff face! I can tell that it has gone through it's share of erosion. That "tannish" color was recent, where the rock fell out. Eventually, it will turn into the bluish-gray, blending with the surroundings. I notice to that the top extends further out above the road than the bottom does. When its freezing, the water that runs through these rocks will turn to ice.  When this happens on a continual basis (freezing, thawing, freezing, thawing, etc.), the rock formation will eventually break because of the stress, causing this discoloration to occur.  From this photo, I can tell there is a lot of limestone in the area, so this is definitely Karstic, with it's share of spring-fed creeks and streams, along with numerous caves.

Thanks!
Jack Douglas

What is Karst?

Karst is a specific land-form that is made from mainly carbonic rocks which slowly dissolves when exposed to slightly acidic water.  This is why Karstic landforms feature so many caves and sinkholes.  Other unique features include sunken streams (which resurfaces later on, sometimes miles away from sinking under), numerous springs (often times from streams resurfacing) and rolling hills alongside deep valleys (even though the rocks underneath may not be “folded”).

 (Geology Cafe)

We got the name “Karst” from the German “Karst.”  Karst, in German, comes from the Slovakian “Krass,” which is the name of a region in the Slovakian Republic that has many karstic features and is indeed Karstic.

What exactly causes an area to have these features such as caves and sinkholes?  It is basically carbon chemistry.  When slightly acidic water comes in contact with carbonic materials on bedrock, the carbons dissolve in the water.  The water sinks quickly down to the ground, dissolving other carbonic material that gets in the way.  Before long, holes (aka caverns or caves) are created under the surface.  Eventually, the roof of these caves will collapse. Above ground, this collapse is seen as a “sinkhole.”

Ten to fifteen percent of the Earth’s surface has this type of landform as the map from Flatrock.org will show (flatrock.org).  

Unfortunately, millions of people around the world populate karstic regions around the world.  This is does cause some environmental hazards. These hazards include sinkholes.  When a large cave collapses, sinkholes big enough to swallow houses and buildings could easily form very quickly and without warning.  Farmlands could be lost forever.

There is, however, another hazard associated with Karstic regions that really needs to be considered here.  That is the water filtering system underneath the population.  Water goes through the ground much quicker in Karstic areas, bypassing the normal filtering system that cleanses the water from many things that would contaminate it.  Water drawn up from a well could easily get polluted by a nearby septic tank that is leaking everywhere, or by fuel tanks up the road underneath the filling station there.  Loss of fresh clean water is a serious hazard!  Unfortunately, in a lot of Karstic areas, sinkholes are used as dumping grounds for garbage.  If it rains, you can bet that the groundwater is NOT going to be potable!

(Geography)

In the United States, Karstic areas are all over the place.  Major areas include the Appalachian Mountains in the Eastern U.S., the Ozark Plateau in the Mid-South, Southern Rocky Mountains in New Mexico, Edwards Plateau in Central Texas and just about the whole northern half of Florida.  On this blog page, I will concentrate on the first two (mainly the Ozarks, but a lot of the Appalachians as well), though I will also go elsewhere to see what all I can find.  

I personally love the Ozarks.  My family has lived in or at the edge of this plateau for about 6 generations now.  I also have ancestral roots going to the Southern Appalachians (like Tennessee and North Carolina).  This blog page is only a small part of a much bigger research into my family background.  However, information presented here will be general enough to where I can easily share the information and have others interested in matters of history, geology, anthropology, geography, meteorology, sociology, climatology and other fields thoroughly enjoy the material.   

Enjoy!

Bibliography

(n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2013, from Geology Cafe: www.geologycafe.com

(n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2013, from flatrock.org: http://images.search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0PDoV7o2B9RElIAsk.jzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBtdXBkbHJyBHNlYwNmcC1hdHRyaWIEc2xrA3J1cmw-/SIG=12t9cumal/EXP=1361070440/**http%3a//flatrock.org.nz/archive/2011/Jul/30/a_la_recherche_du_temps_perdu/

Geography. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2013, from Ohio Wesleyan University: www.owu.edu