Flood Risks in the Eastern Kentucky Mountains
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
Major
Geology
Minor
Biology
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Dr. Haluk Cetin
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Mining destroys vegetation and upturns acidic soil which is dangerous for both water quality and flood risks. Hazard, KY, is surrounded by many inactive, underground mines which causes great risk for the city in a flood event. I found mine data that was separated into active and inactive mine polygons with data about the individual mines. Additionally, the city has seen continued mining in the surrounding area with the introduction of Mountain Top Removal (MTR). MTR is a technique that breaks down the tops of mountains to find coal seams. Even though much of the mines have moved away from the city they still occur in the surrounding areas. Due to this shift away reclamation of the old mines has increased which has helped alleviate flood risks around the area. I created an NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and a change detection image for April 18, 2025, and April 23, 1992, and used them to see these changes in vegetation and overall area over time. However, because of Hazards low elevation and proximity to a major river it is common for it to flood, especially the commercial area which is located closest to the river and at the lowest elevation. Which can be seen in the slope imagery I created based on a DEM (Digital Elevation Model) to understand the elevation of the area and surrounding mountains. Therefore, this area is still under severe risk for flooding and water quality issues from both active and inactive mines.
Spring Scholars Week 2026
Sigma Xi Poster Competition
Flood Risks in the Eastern Kentucky Mountains
Mining destroys vegetation and upturns acidic soil which is dangerous for both water quality and flood risks. Hazard, KY, is surrounded by many inactive, underground mines which causes great risk for the city in a flood event. I found mine data that was separated into active and inactive mine polygons with data about the individual mines. Additionally, the city has seen continued mining in the surrounding area with the introduction of Mountain Top Removal (MTR). MTR is a technique that breaks down the tops of mountains to find coal seams. Even though much of the mines have moved away from the city they still occur in the surrounding areas. Due to this shift away reclamation of the old mines has increased which has helped alleviate flood risks around the area. I created an NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and a change detection image for April 18, 2025, and April 23, 1992, and used them to see these changes in vegetation and overall area over time. However, because of Hazards low elevation and proximity to a major river it is common for it to flood, especially the commercial area which is located closest to the river and at the lowest elevation. Which can be seen in the slope imagery I created based on a DEM (Digital Elevation Model) to understand the elevation of the area and surrounding mountains. Therefore, this area is still under severe risk for flooding and water quality issues from both active and inactive mines.