Geomorphology and hydrology of karst terrains

TLDR

Karst terrains are irregular limestone regions with sinkholes, underground streams, and caverns that attract interest for their dramatic landscapes, cave exploration, and relevance to water supply, urban planning, and environmental engineering. The book examines the chemistry of karst waters, sedimentary infilling, cave origins, and the evolution of karst systems over geological time. It adopts a quantitative, process-oriented view of limestone dissolution chemistry, integrating environmental issues such as land use, water supply, and pollution control.

Abstract

Karst terrains - irregular limestone regions characterized by sinkholes, underground streams and caverns - have long been of interest because of the dramatic landscapes and the challenge of cave exploration. But the geomorphology and hydrology of karst drainage systems are now of interest to water supply specialists, urban planners, and environmental engineers. This graduate-level text discusses the chemistry of karst waters, the processes of sedimentary in-filling, the origins of caves, and the evolution of karst systems through geologic time. Since karst develops predominently by chemical processes, this text is written from the point of view of the chemistry of limestone solution. The approach is more quantitive and process-oriented than that of existing textbooks, and the author includes material on environmental problems in karst regions, including land use and land management, water supply, and pollution control.