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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/Limestone

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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/Slovenia

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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/Acid

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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_acid

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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/Gypsum

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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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