Karst

geology · caves · water · landforms

Rock gets eaten away. Karst forms when rainwater dissolves soft rocks like limestone and dolomite. Over thousands of years, this slowly creates holes and tunnels underground.

Sinkholes appear suddenly. When the roof of an underground cave gets too thin, it can suddenly collapse and create a giant sinkhole in the ground above. These can be hundreds of feet deep.

Underground rivers flow. In karst areas, water doesn't flow on the surface like normal rivers do. Instead, it disappears into the ground and travels through hidden cave systems beneath your feet.

Strange rocky landscapes. Karst regions have bumpy, dramatic terrain with sharp rocks sticking up and deep valleys between them. The landscape looks almost alien because of all the dissolving that happened.

More rocks than limestone. While limestone is the most common rock that creates karst, other rocks like dolomite and even quartzite can form karst landscapes under the right conditions.