The
nature of the breaches within the overburden and dissolution
in the underlying limestone take on various dimensions.
Subsidence of the overburden due to dissolution at depth
forms sinkholes that create large discontinuities within
the impermeable layer. Smaller discontinuities include
faulting and fracturing within the overburden that provide
conduits for water movement, which over time develop solution
pipes. With continued water movement and karst development
these features reach stages of maturity that may include
infilling and/or reactivation. Buried subsidence and dissolution
features may not have a surface expression since recent
fluvial deposition post-dates subsidence activity. However,
the subsurface features may still provide conduits for
water movement to and from the aquifer and reactivation
is a possibility.