karsts
Cave-riddled terrain types
Karsts are landscapes shaped by the dissolution of solite rock—typically limestone, dolomite, or gypsum.
Water slowly dissolves the stone, creating distinctive features: sinkholes, caves, underground drainage systems, and jagged surface formations.
The karsts of southern China rise dramatically from flat plains.
Karst terrain often lacks surface rivers because water flows through subterranean channels instead.
Large natural underground chamber
- grottoSmall scenic cavern
- stalactiteHanging cave mineral deposit
- stalagmiteUpward-growing cave deposit
- chamberEnclosed room or cavity
subterranean · spelunker · speleology · dripstone · flowstone · soda straw · bat · darkness
Underground collapse crater
- pinnacleUtmost summit or spire
- towerTall slender edifice
- coneTapered solid, circular base
- haystackPiled dried grass
cockpit · hum · resurgence · blind valley · dry valley
Carbonate sedimentary rock
- dolomiteCalcium magnesium carbonate mineral
- calciteCrystalline calcium carbonate
- marbleRecrystallized limestone rock
- chalkSoft sedimentary writing stone
travertine · tufa · carbonate · sedimentary · stratigraphy · bedrock · soluble · permeable
Breaking up completely
- chemical weatheringRocks altered by reactions
- carbonationGas dissolved in liquid
- corrosionChemical wearing away
- sappingGradually draining vitality
undercutting · acid rain · hydrology · sculpting · groundwater · percolation · etching
Balkan republic, Alpine north
- YucatanSoutheastern Mexican peninsula
- Puerto RicoAmerican Caribbean territory
- VietnamSoutheast Asian coastal nation
- Mammoth CaveKentucky's vast underground network
Carlsbad · China · Croatia · Jamaica · Madagascar · Philippines
cavern
Large natural underground chamber
- grottoSmall scenic cavern
- stalactiteHanging cave mineral deposit
- stalagmiteUpward-growing cave deposit
chamber · subterranean · spelunker · speleology · dripstone · flowstone · soda straw · bat · darkness · cenote
sinkhole
Underground collapse crater
haystack · cockpit · hum · resurgence · blind valley · dry valley
limestone
Carbonate sedimentary rock
- dolomiteCalcium magnesium carbonate mineral
- calciteCrystalline calcium carbonate
- marbleRecrystallized limestone rock
chalk · travertine · tufa · carbonate · sedimentary · stratigraphy · bedrock · soluble · permeable · fissure
dissolution
Breaking up completely
- chemical weatheringRocks altered by reactions
- carbonationGas dissolved in liquid
- corrosionChemical wearing away
sapping · undercutting · acid rain · hydrology · sculpting · groundwater · percolation · etching
Slovenia
Balkan republic, Alpine north
- YucatanSoutheastern Mexican peninsula
- Puerto RicoAmerican Caribbean territory
- VietnamSoutheast Asian coastal nation
Mammoth Cave · Carlsbad · China · Croatia · Jamaica · Madagascar · Philippines
karstsvolcanic terrain
Ground formed by eruptions
floodplains · sand dunes · lava fields · shield volcanoes · moraines
- tower karstSteep-sided residual limestone hills
- cockpit karstKarst with enclosed basins