Karst Topography

Download and open the map of Leesburg FL and answer the following questions.

1) What is the contour interval of the map? (3 points)

2) ESTIMATE (don’t count, you’ll go crazy) how many sinkholes you see in the map area. (3 points)

3) Are there more sinkholes in the northern or southern part of the map area? (3 points)

4) Why do you think that is? (5 points)

Find Myrtle Lake it’s south of Fruitland Park in the northern part of the map. Once you find it zoom in on it to about 200%

5) It’s likely that the surface of Myrtle Lake is also the surface of the water table. If that’s the case what’s the elevation of the water table here (be aware that the unlabeled index contour you see around the lake is 75 feet) (5 points)

6) If you were going to drill a water well on top of the hill just to the east of Myrtle lake about how far down would you have to drill before you hit water? (What’s the elevation off the ground where you’re drilling? What’s the elevation of the water table you determined in question 6? Subtract to find how far you’d have to drill) (5 points)

7) What the elevation of Crystal Lake to the north of Myrtle lake? (once again the index contour is 75 feet) (5 points)

8) Just like surface water, ground water flows from higher to lower elevations. Given the elevations of Crystal Lake and Myrtle lake what direction is the groundwater likely flowing in this region of the map? (5 points)

9) Assume there’s an old gas station with a leaking underground storage tank on the circular road between Myrtle Lake and Crystal Lake. Which lake would you prefer to draw your drinking water out of and why? (5 points)

10) Zoom back out to 100%. About what percentage of the sinkholes in the map area have lakes in them? (5 points)

11) Why don’t all the sinkholes have lakes in them? (5 points)

12) As with all of Florida this area is growing quickly as people move here. What issues do residents face in terms of construction and what issues will they likely face going forward as more and more people move here? (10 points)