Since this is karst related, I thought that I would send it out to the email list.
The second of three Brown Bag Presentations in the next two weeks Edwards Aquifer Philosophical Society - aka brown bag luncheon Tuesday, June 1st at 11:55: AM NOTE: this is a different location than our regular Brown Bag Presentations Helotes Room Edwards Aquifer Authority Annex San Antonio River Authority Building 600 East Euclid Street, San Antonio, TX We are pleased to announce that Dr. Dorothy Vesper, West Virginia University will be making a presentation entitled Coal-mine drainage as a driver for carbonate dissolution; deciphering the balance between acidity, alkalinity, CO2 and karst processes. The presentation will be held on Tuesday, June 1st at the Edwards Aquifer Authority Annex located in the San Antonio River Authority Building at 600 East Euclid Street, San Antonio. These are informal presentations so please feel free to bring your lunch. For directions or further information, the Authority may be contacted at 210-222-2204 or www.edwardsaquifer.org<http://www.edwardsaquifer.org/> Thank you. Geary Schindel Chief Technical Officer Edwards Aquifer Authority Coal-mine drainage as a driver for carbonate dissolution; deciphering the balance between acidity, alkalinity, CO2 and karst processes Acid mine drainage - formed when pyrite oxidation releases sulfuric acid and iron - is a common sight in the coal-mined regions of Appalachia. However, when carbonate layers are present in the coal sequence, the mine drainage may be alkaline rather than acidic. In flooded mine systems, elevated CO2 pressures can occur as the sulfuric acid from pyrite oxidation drives carbonate dissolution while metal precipitation consumes the generated alkalinity. These settings provide an interesting, anthropogenically-caused analog to karst systems where sulfuric acid drives cave formation. Biography: Dorothy Vesper Assistant Professor of Geology, West Virginia University Dorothy Vesper applies her interest in inorganic geochemistry to both beautiful karst springs and not-so-beautiful contaminated sites. She has a BS degree in geology from Juniata College, and MS and PhD degrees from The Pennsylvania State University. For the 10 years between the two graduate degrees, Dorothy worked for consulting firms in the Boston area. A karst project in Kentucky-Tennessee convinced her to come back to school for the third and final round. Her current karst projects focus on conceptual models, protection and sustainability of water resources in the structurally-complex Ridge and Valley Province. In her spare time she studies metal geochemistry at mining-related sites.
