South-central Kentucky (USA) has one of the world’s most intensively studied karst landscape/aquifer systems, including the carbonates that hold the Mammoth Cave System. Slightly higher in the Mississippian (Lower Carboniferous) stratigraphic section, the Haney Limestone forms a locally important but much less well-studied karst aquifer. This research provides the most comprehensive synthesis to date of the karst hydrogeology of the Haney Limestone of south-central Kentucky, focusing on the distribution of and controls on caves and karst features. In contrast to drainage systems within the underlying major limestones, joints have controlled passage development in the Haney Limestone, and passage orientation is consistent with regional jointing. Bedding planes and insoluble rock at the base of the Haney Limestone also influence conduit development. Most caves developed in the Haney Limestone in the study area are single-conduit caves that receive direct allogenic recharge. Often, cave entrances are perennial springs where streams resurge, suggesting that the caves function within the contemporary landscape as drains for localized recharge areas. Most caves developed in the Haney Limestone appear to be geologically recent phenomena. Most cave passages in the study area are hydrologically active, water resurging from the sampled springs is typically undersaturated with respect to calcite, and some caves appear to be developed along stress-release fractures associated with small young valleys. This suggests that caves in the Haney Limestone were not directly influenced by the incision of the Green River over vast periods, as was the case for Mammoth Cave, but that cave development is a largely contemporary process.

美国肯塔基州中南部拥有世界上研究最深入的岩溶景观/含水层系统之一，其中包括容纳猛mm洞系统的碳酸盐。密西西比（下石炭统）地层中的岩性稍高，而哈尼石灰石形成了局部重要但研究较少的岩溶含水层。这项研究提供了迄今为止肯塔基州中南部Haney石灰岩岩溶水文地质学最全面的综合资料，重点是洞穴和岩溶特征的分布和控制。与底层主要石灰岩中的排水系统相比，节理在Haney石灰石中控制了通道的发展，通道的方向与区域节理一致。Haney石灰石底部的层理平面和不溶岩石也影响导管的发育。研究区的Haney石灰岩中发育的大多数洞穴是单导管洞穴，可直接接受异体补给。通常，山洞的入口是常年涌出的泉水，溪流在此回潮，这表明山洞在当代景观中起着局部补给区排水沟的作用。Haney石灰岩中发育的大多数洞穴似乎是地质上最近的现象。研究区内的大多数洞穴通道都具有水文活性，相对于方解石而言，从采样泉水中回收的水通常不饱和，并且某些洞穴似乎是沿着与年轻小山谷相关的应力释放裂缝形成的。这表明，在很大的时期内，Haney石灰石中的洞穴并不受绿河切口的直接影响，就像猛Cave象洞穴一样，