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Karst Group

Karst: An irregular limestone region with sinks, underground streams, and caverns.

Karst is a major geological feature of Florida and much of the greater Caribbean. USF has an extremely active research program in karst that spans several disciplines. A major component of this research is investigating the geological conditions that lead to karst development, especially in coastal environments. In addition, research in this group focuses on groundwater flow in karst regions, sinkhole development and hazards, and mapping and visualization of karst features. Join this group and you might find yourself "in deep"! Current graduate students in the Karst Group include:

  • Beth Fratesi (Ph.D. candidate and USF Presidential Fellow) is modeling karst in coastal settings, starting with small carbonate islands.
  • Limaris Soto (Ph.D. Candidate) is using U-Th dating to create a paleoclimate record from speleothems in West-Central Florida with Dr. Bodgan Onac

The group also has done field work this year in San Salvador (Bahamas), Cuba, and Belize. For more information about the USF Karst Group, especially multi-disciplinary opportunities in this area, see the Karst Group Website. For more information about graduate student opportunities in the Karst Group, contact Bogdan Onac.