In addition, human changes in areas of karst hydrology can trigger numerous legal activities, and the risks of lawsuits are particularly high near roads in sinkholeprone areas p. These approaches include an evaluation of the degree of karstification, the hydrologic attributes of the groundwater flow system, the baseline water quality, the timeoftravel through the karst flow system, and the general flux moving through the system. Previously, the activities of cave explorers, called speleologists, had been dismissed as more of a sport than a science, meaning that underground karstic caves and their associated watercourses were, from a scientific perspective, understudied. Karst is a specific type of terrain or landscapes with characteristic suites of. Ask the students to think about everything they have learned about caves, karst, and underground water movement. In an attempt to be as broad as possible in this glossary, terms related to general hydrology and hydrogeology, common karst rock and mineral. Karst landscapes are sculpted largely by solution, whereas other rock types are sculpted largely by mechanical erosion. Originally published in 1989, karst geomorphology and hydrology became the leading textbook on karst studies. Urban development in karst regions present unique problems for land and waterresource managers and can potentially impact both land and water resources if not managed adequately. In an attempt to be as broad as possible in this glossary, terms related to general hydrology and hydrogeology, common karst rock and mineral types, and many of the descriptive terms used in speleology, even where they relate to specific localities, have been included. Definition of groundwater genesis and circulation conditions. An area of irregular limestone in which erosion has produced fissures, sinkholes, underground streams, and caverns.
A spring is a point at which water flows from an aquifer to the earths surface. The papers were divided into sessions that considered karst geochemistry, geomorphology, input hydrology, hydrogeology, quantitative and analytic modelling, groundwater tracing, remote sensing, geotechnical installations, and regional studies. Geological survey waterresources investigations report 934063 prepared in cooperation with the kentucky state university louisville, kentucky 1993. Karst is a landscape in which underlying geologic strata are commonly riddles with caves, crevices, and cavities that alter typical surface runoff infiltration rates common in other nonkarst areas. The hydrology of karst aquifers has been of interest since early historic times with caves serving. Subterranean drainage may limit surface water, with few to no rivers or lakes. The glossary does not include definitions of most biospeleological terms, geologic structure terms, varieties of carbonate rock that require microscopic techniques.
Karst features and hydrogeology in westcentral floridaa. The attitude of the hydrogeological community toward conduit permeability has come to almost a full circle. Griffiths 374 interplay between geology, climate, topography, hydrology, and biological factors over long time scales. The edwards plateau is one of the largest continuous karst regions in the u.
Hydrogeological processes in karst terranes held at antalya, turkey, in october 1990. Karst landscapeaquifer systems are estimated to constitute about 15% of the earths icefree land surface and supply water resources to up to 25% of the worlds population. Jan 29, 2020 the complex karst system named mlavabelosavacbelosavac 2 is one of the five systems isolated according to detailed research conducted within the beljanica karst massif which belongs to the carpathobalkanides. For example, for areas with a high groundwater table, the total amount of infiltration and percolation would be rather low even though the soil matrix is capable of higher infiltration and percolation rates. In virginia, most karst lands are underlain by soluble limestone and dolomite, collectively referred to as carbonate rock. Our entire living worldplants, animals, and humansis unthinkable without abundant water.
The subject of karst hydrogeology involves a wide variety of geomorphologic, geologic, hydrologic, and geochemical topics that are beyond the scope of this report. Geomorphology and hydrology of karst terrains william b. The hydrologic characteristics of karst aquifers are extremely variable at all scales up to tens of miles. Karst, terrain usually characterized by barren, rocky ground, caves, sinkholes, underground rivers, and the absence of surface streams and lakes. The water flowing from karst aquifers commonly carries. A spring may be the result of karst topography where surface.
Stress on groundwater resources has increased significantly in recent decades wada et al. The effects of karst development extend well beyond the landscape and underlying karst aquifers. The structural plateau of zemo imereti is the part of the intermountain plain karst zone of georgia and one of the interesting parts of the karst relief development. Basic concepts of groundwater hydrology thomas harteris uc cooperative extension hydrogeology specialist,university of california,davis,and kearney agricultural center. The karstfractured medium constitutes a considerable groundwater capacity, as shown on the example of the klesnica river basin. In the early dayssay the 1960sthe general opinion was that conduits had nothing to. Appendix 6k1 a and b factors that define intensity duration frequency idf curves for use. Environmental protection agency report epa600r99006. More than 25 percent of the worlds population either lives on. Citations to some representative source are provided with these instructions. Hydrogeologic characterization and methods used in the. Karst hydrogeology and geomorphology wiley online books. The nature of potential contaminants and their total.
It includes details of the many environmental factors that. It results from the excavating effects of underground water on massive soluble limestone. These are regions where the types of rock below the land. The central questions of karst hydrology concern 1 recharge, storage, and flow of groundwater in contemporary aquifers, 2 identification of geologic constraints on groundwater storage and flow paths, and 3 understanding of how aquifers evolve through time and the relation of this evolution to the evolution of interconnected surfacewater basins. It is a germanized word for carso in italian and kras in slovene. The regional name for this area is kras from the preindoeuropean root kar meaning stone or rock gams, 2003. This graduatelevel text discusses the chemistry of karst waters, the processes of sedimentary infilling, the origins of caves, and the evolution of karst systems through geologic time. The groundwater then travels through a network of cracks and fissuresopenings ranging from intergranular spaces to large caves. Karst features in westcentral florida play a dominant role in the hydrogeologic framework of the region. White 1993, 1999 provides good overviews of karst hydrology and the methods typically used in its study.
Bcra published an updated dictionary that covers the general area of karst and caves. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. Hydrologic budget for the poljes in karst springerlink. Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. The potential for karst features to develop in westcentral florida is controlled by regional variations in geology and hydrology from tihansky, 1999. Mar 28, 2020 karst is a special type of landscape that is formed by the dissolution of soluble rocks, including limestone and dolomite. As previously stressed, from the hydrologic standpoint, poljes represent a subsystem linked to the surrounding karst mass, other poljes or river valleys on higher horizons and to those poljes or river valleys on lower horizons. Ground water flowing through karst aquifers can move into adjacent, non karst aquifers. The water eventually emerges from below the surface, in the form of a karst spring. In this study, cave morphology and surface and groundwater hydrology are used to define its southwestern section as the area bounded to the east by the nueces river, to the south by the rio grande, balcones escarpment and limit of cretaceous. Challenges to achieving a deep understanding of karst systems span the full range of current problems in hydrology. These karst aquifers are primarily located at higher elevations where there is an. According to bonaccis karst hydrology the only permanent sea katavothres in the world, is the case of argostoli 11.
The above mentioned karst region includes the easternmost part of western georgia, which is characterized by. Karst hydrology karst is a term applied to areas where extensive dissolution of rock has led to the development of subterranean channels through which groundwater flows in conduits enclosed or semienclosed channels. Generally cephalonias katavothres, swallowing sea water permanently, are. Lexicon of cave and karst terminology with special. A great deal of effort has gone into modeling the evolution of karst aquifers as the. He studies physical hydrology of surface and groundwater resources with an emphasis on areas underlain by carbonate karst aquifers. Karst geomorphology, hydrology, and management chapter 11 tim stokes, paul griffiths, and carol ramsey figure 11. Among the various forms of subsurface freshwater, karst groundwater is a major resource for water supply in many regions, including china, turkey, iran, mexico, and the united states 34567. Pdf understanding the hydrology of karst researchgate. Use of dye tracing to determine the direction of groundwater flow in karst terrane at the kentucky state university research farm near frankfort, kentucky by d. Define and discuss point source and nonpoint source pollution. The word karst is a germanized form of the name of a carbonate plateau that is situated above the adriatic sea immediately to the east of trieste, italy, and covers about 750 km 2 fig. The article discusses the hydrological and hydrogeological characteristics of the platform karst of zemo imereti plateau. Eogenetic karst from the perspective of an equivalent porous medium rico monroe 1976 are examples of karst on islands, as opposed to island karst, in that the limestones there are of appreciable age and diagenetic maturity,and most are isolated from quaternary sealevel change and freshwatersaltwater mixing.
A number of empirical formulas, some dating back over a century, have been proposed which attempt to relate the hydraulic conductivity of an unconsolidated geologic material granular sediment or soil to its grain size distribution obtained from sieve analysis. Hydrological and hydrogeological characteristics of the. He has studied karst areas across north america, france, eastern europe, china and southeast asia. In order to define the genesis of groundwaters from these three springs, the deepening of the main karst channel, as well as their underground connection, a multiparameter approach. Effects of restricted recharge in an urban karst system. The first half of the book is a systematic presentation of the dissolution kinetics, chemical equilibria and physical flow laws relating to karst environments. A spring may be the result of karst topography where surface water has infiltrated the earths surface recharge area, becoming part of the area groundwater. In the early dayssay the 1960sthe general opinion was that conduits had nothing to do with ground water hydrology. Pdf chapter 5 surface waters and groundwater in karst. In virginia, most karst lands are underlain by soluble limestone and.
Oitation ani fvlanagement a b c suggested symbols arc shown in fig, 111. Sinkholes are most common in what geologists call, karst terrain. Since that time, many new terms related to karst in general have come into use throughout the world while other older karst terms are seldom used nowadays. Decline in yields of springs, decrease of groundwater discharge to wells. Three opposed sets of general genetic hypotheses the classical hypotheses have been presented for such caves, arguing that the majority develop.
Cafos on karst meaningful data collection to adequately. The project is a possible prototype for regional studies of karst aquifers. Infiltration and percolation are components of hydrologic cycle and are affected by other components. Karst is a term that is applied to terrain with distinctive landforms and underground drainage systems that form as a consequence of the solubility of certain rock types, particularly limestone, in water. Karst hydrology requires a mix of surface water concepts and ground water concepts. Hydrogeology of selected carbonate karst areas in the.
The karst hydrology initiative is a regional study of the karst aquifers in alabama, illinois, indiana, kentucky, and tennessee. How do they think karst areas will be affected by point source and nonpoint source pollution. All scientific study of water chemistry and distribution, whether stationary or moving in a karst system, as well as the effects in relation to human activity. The first step in investigating a karst unit is to confirm the extent or intensity of karst development and. Hydraulic conductivity of selected consolidated and unconsolidated geologic materials from heath 1983. Interdisciplinary research on the hydrology of karst aquifers has long been practiced and is perhaps of even greater value today as a model for future directions in hydrologic science in general. This new textbook has been substantially revised and updated.
A lexicon of cave and karst terminology with special. Pdf determining the nature of water flow and contaminant dispersion in karst. Basically, this means that when it rains, all of the water stays inside the sinkhole and typically drains into the subsurface. Karst is a special type of landscape that is formed by the dissolution of soluble rocks, including limestone and dolomite. Karst caves are defined as solution cavities larger than 516 mm in diameter. Pdf hydrogeology, objectives, methods and applications. These conduits can vary in size from slightly enlarged cracks to tunnels many meters in diameter and many kilometers in length. What is observed is only a snapshot of a system that is rapidly changing. Other special purpose maps arc also frequently used in karst hydrology.
German, after the karst, a limestone plateau near trieste where geologists first studied karstic landscapes. For the purpose of this manual, hydrology will deal with. Eogenetic karst from the perspective of an equivalent porous. Variations on the name include carusadus, karusad, grast, krs, and carso. Jones is the author of over thirty papers on karst hydrology and water tracing. More than 25 percent of the worlds population either lives on or obtains its water from karst aquifers. Quantifying the place of karst aquifers in the groundwater to surface water continuum. We 1 start with an introduction to karst including its evolution and hydrogeology, 2 present an overview of karst exploration methods with a particular focus on the data requirements of karst models, 3 discuss the present state of hydrologic models for simulating karst water resources, and 4 discuss challenges and new directions in. It has also been documented for more weatheringresistant rocks, such as quartzite, given the right conditions. A sinkhole is a depression in the ground that has no natural external surface drainage. Karst landscapes are often spectacularly scenic areas. The poljes in karst have already been dealt with in chapter 2 as a morphologic and surface phenomenon.
Karst processes karst hydrology and drainage characteristics surface flow rivers lose water when some of the flow descends into swallow holes or swallets. The paleozoic crystalline limestones in the research area are good. Karst hydrology emerged as a discipline in the late 1950s and early 1960s in france. Hydrostratigraphy one or more aquifer systems separated by confining units, occur in westcentral florida. But the geomorphology and hydrology of karst drainage systems are now of interest to water supply specialists, urban planners, and environmental engineers. A karst landscape unit, or more simply a karst unit, is defined for the purposes of this chapter as a threedimensional belt or block of soluble bedrock area surrounded by other less soluble rock types. Karst is a term applied to areas where extensive dissolution of rock has led to the development of subterranean channels through which groundwater flows in conduits enclosed or semienclosed channels. Karst regions contain aquifers that are capable of providing large supplies of water. Some will flow over land surface as runoff relatively commonimportant when the ground is frozen.