Karst topography forms in areas with soluble rock like limestone and dolomite. Groundwater dissolves the rock through chemical processes, forming distinctive landforms. Key features include sinkholes, caves, underground streams, and karst plains. Karst regions exist worldwide, including parts of Europe, Asia, and North America, requiring soluble bedrock and adequate rainfall for dissolution to occur.

1. Karst Topography

2. Contents
1. Karst
2. Zones of Karst
3. Karst Processes
4. Karst Topography
5. Karst Area in World
6. Conditions for the development of the Karst
7. Karst Landforms
8. Caverns and Cave
9. References

3. Karst
• The term "karst" stems from the region Krs in Slovenia, now in
northwestern Yugoslavia, which is typified by stony barren
rock
• he Indo- European word "kar" for rock and the Italian word
"carso" evolved to the Germanized term"karst," which is now
the accepted term for solution-derived landscapes

4. Ground Water
•Vadose zone or Zone of Aeration (Above the Water Table)
•Phreatic zone or Zone of Saturation (Below the Water Table)

5. Zone of water

6. Karst Processes
• Chemical Action
• Lithology
• Joints
• Faults

7. Karst Topography
• Dolomite(CaMg(CO3)2) and Limestone(CaCO3)
• Dissolution of rocks (Groud or Surface)

8. Karst in the World
• S.France
• Spanish Andalusia
• U.S.A
• S.Asia

9. Karst in world

10. Conditions of Karst Development
• Soluable rock (limestone,dolomite)
• Dense highly jointed
• Moderate rain fall region

11. Karst landform
• Terra Rosa
• Sinkholes
• Karst Plain
• Stalactites
• Stalagmites
• Pillars
• Karst Solution Valley
• Uvala
• Polje
• Karst Tower
• Karst cockpits

12. Terra Rossa

13. Sinkholes
• Groundwater dissolves
soluble rock, creating
fractures and caves.
• Dissolving continues to
form larger caves and
fractures.

14. Sinkhole

15. Karst Solution Valley

16. Uvala

17. Polje
• A polje is a large flat plain in karst territory, often
structurally controlled
Copyright © Jelena Calic-Ljubojevic 2002

18. Polje

19. Tower Karst
• Tower karst is created in highly eroded karst regions.

20. Karst Tower

21. Karst Cockpits

22. Caverns and cave
• Underground spaces
• Natural opening in the ground extended beyond the zone of
light

23. Karst Caverns or Caves
• Speleothems
• Stalacite
• Stalagmites
• Pillar
• Natural Tunnels
• Natural Bridge

24. Stalacite

25. Stalagmite and Pillar

26. Natural Tunnel

27. Natural Bridge

29. References
• www.usgs.gov
• www.nasa.gov
• Jhon.Richard Hugget “Fundamentals of Geomorphology” 2005
edition