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Weathering/Karst Landscapes/
Mass Movements
Maria Teresa Barcelona Mendoza
BSIME, MIEM
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Weathering
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Karst Landscape
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Karst TopographyA
three-dimensional landscape shaped by thedissolution of a soluble layer or layers of bedrock,
usually carbonate rock such as limestone or
dolomite.
These landscapes display distinctive surfacefeatures and underground drainages, and in some
cases there may be little or no surface drainage.
Some areas of karst topography, such as southernMissouri and northernArkansas in the United States,
are underlain by thousands ofcaves.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Limestonehttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Dolomitehttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Missourihttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Arkansashttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/United_Stateshttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Cavehttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Cavehttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/United_Stateshttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Arkansashttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Missourihttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Dolomitehttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Limestone8/3/2019 Karst Landscape Report
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Terminology Different terms for karst topography
exist in other languagesfor example,yanrong in Chinese and tsingy in
Malagasya notable exception beingEnglish (Jennings, Ch.1 p.1).
The international community has settledon karst, the German name for Kras, aregion in Slovenia partially extendinginto Italy where it is called Carso andwhere the first scientific research of a
karst topography was made.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Sloveniahttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Italyhttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Italyhttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Slovenia8/3/2019 Karst Landscape Report
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Terminology
The name has Paleoeuropean
origin (karra, meaning stone) and in
antiquity it was called Carusardius
in Latin.
The Slovenian form grast is attestedsince 1177, and the Croatian kras
since 1230.
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Chemistry of Karst
Landscapes Karst landforms are generally the result of
mildly acidic water acting on soluble bedrock
such as limestone or dolostone. The carbonic acid that causes these features
is formed as rain passes through the
atmosphere picking up CO2, which dissolves
in the water. Once the rain reaches theground, it may pass through soil that may
provide further CO2
to form a weak carbonic
acid solution: H2O + CO2 H2CO3.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Acidhttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Limestonehttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Carbonic_acidhttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Rainhttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Earth%27s_atmospherehttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Carbon_dioxidehttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Carbon_dioxidehttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Soilhttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Soilhttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Carbon_dioxidehttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Carbon_dioxidehttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Earth%27s_atmospherehttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Rainhttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Carbonic_acidhttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Limestonehttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Acid8/3/2019 Karst Landscape Report
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Chemistry of Karst
Landscapes Recent studies of sulfates in karst waters
suggests sulfuric and hydrosulfuricacids mayalso play an important role in karst formation.
This mildly acidic water begins to dissolve the
surface and any fractures or bedding planesin the limestone bedrock. Over time thesefractures enlarge as the bedrock continues todissolve.
Openings in the rock increase in size, and anunderground drainage system begins todevelop, allowing more water to pass throughand accelerating the formation of
underground karst features.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Sulfuric_acidhttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Hydrogen_sulfidehttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Hydrogen_sulfidehttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Acidhttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Weatheringhttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Weatheringhttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Acidhttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Hydrogen_sulfidehttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Hydrogen_sulfidehttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Sulfuric_acid8/3/2019 Karst Landscape Report
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Chemistry of karst Landscapes
Somewhat less common than this
limestone karst is gypsum karst, where
the solubility of the mineral gypsumprovides many similar structures to the
dissolution and redeposition of calcium
carbonate.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Gypsumhttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Gypsum8/3/2019 Karst Landscape Report
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Erosion: The Picking up and
removal of rocks particles
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Weathering: The Breaking Down of Rocks
Into Smaller Pieces by Natural Processes
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Soil: A Mixture of Weathered Rock, Decayed Plant
and Animal Matter, Living Thing, Air and Water
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Soil Horizon: Any of the layers of soil from
the surface to the bedrock below
G
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Groundwater: Water that soaks into soil
and rocks by collecting in spaces between
rock particles.
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Humus: Material in soil formed by the
breakdown of plant and animal
material
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The Weathering Cycle
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The Weathering Cycle
1. Carbon Dioxide andWater
In clouds, carbon
dioxide reacts with
water to form a weak
acid.
H2O + CO2 --> H2CO3
H2CO3 H+ + HCO3-
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2. Acid Rain and Limestone The acidic rain formed
by the combination ofCO
2and H
2O in clouds
rains to the ground and
reacts with limestones.
CaCO3 + H+ + HCO3- -->Ca++ + 2HCO
3-
In this way, limestone
caves can be formed as
limestone is dissolvedby underground streams
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