Sign in or 
Share this
Karst Glossary
Source: Buck, M.J., S.R.H. Worthington and D.C. Ford. 2003.
Earth Science Inventory and Evaluation of the Eramosa Karst Area of Natural and Scientific Interest.
OMNR, Guelph District, Southcentral Region. vi + 51 p.
View Report Photo's of Eramosa Karst Features
http://friendsoferamosakarst.org/photos/report%20photos/reportphotos.htm
active: Connected to the current hydrologic conditions and actively developing.
bare karst: A karst where bedrock is exposed and soil is thin or absent.
blind valley: A valley in which a stream sinks underground. The valley floor rises abruptly downvalley of the sinkpoint, closing it off topographically.
cave: A natural cavity in the ground which is large enough for human entry. An arbitrary minimum length of 5 m is used here to differentiate caves from rock shelters or overhangs.
clint: Slabs of limestone or dolostone forming a pavement. Individual slabs or clints are separated by grikes (solutionally widened joints) and are parallel to the bedding.
conduit: A dissolution void with a diameter greater than 1 centimetre, in which flow may be turbulent. Conduits typically form tributary patterns and connect a large number of dolines or solutionally enlarged joints to a spring. Most caves (including all those in this study) are large conduits.
doline: A topographically closed depression, commonly circular or oval in plain view. Five types are generally recognised, though most dolines are a combination of more than one type.
Collapse dolines are caused by the collapse of bedrock into an underlying void, and often have steep sides.
Solution dolines are caused by solution of the bedrock and centripetal flow to a central conduit.
Suffosion dolines are caused by the subsidence or down-washing of unconsolidated sediments into a conduit in bedrock.
Subsidence dolines are caused by the subsidence of bedrock above a solution void.
Buried dolines are ancient dolines that have been filled in by unconsolidated sediments such as glacial deposits.
dry valley: A valley which lacks a permanent surface stream.
exsurgence: A spring principally fed by recharge percolating down through the soil. Exsurgences are characterised by a limited range in discharge and chemistry, and typically remain clear after heavy rain.
fluviokarst: A karst area where surface creeks are present.
fossil: No longer active (in describing karst features)
grike: A solutionally enlarged vertical or steeply inclined joint extending for up to a few metres from the surface of the bedrock.
half-blind valley: A valley in which the stream normally sinks underground but there is overflow during very wet weather.
holokarst: A karst area where there is an absence of surface creeks.
interstratal karst Karst developed within a soluble formation that is overlain by low-solubility strata.
karren: Small-scale dissolution features on soluble rocks.
karst: A landscape characterised by solution features such as karren, dolines, caves, sinking streams and springs.
karst window: A depression with a stream flowing across it, caused by collapse of bedrock into a cave passage.
mantled karst: Karst deeply covered by unconsolidated overburden.
overflow sink: A sinkpoint for a creek that is only used under high flows when sinkpoints further upstream are unable to handle all the flow.
paleokarst Karst formed in previous geologic eras, now infilled by later deposits and hydrologically inert.
pavement: A level or gently-inclined bare rock surface in limestone or dolostone with solutionally-enlarged joints which are known as cutters,
Kluftkarren, or grikes. The flat areas between the joints are known as clints. These are usually indented with smaller pits and runnels of solutional origin.
phreatic: Used to describe cave passages and other features formed below the water table. The classic example is a tube-shaped passage.
rejuvenated: A relict or paleokarst feature that is being re-used in a modern hydrologic system.
relict: A geomorphic feature that retains its genetic form but no longer its function; e.g. a dry valley.
resurgence: A spring principally fed by one or more sinking streams. Resurgences are characterised by a wide range in discharge and chemistry, and typically become turbid after heavy rain. runnel: A bedrock groove formed by dissolution.
sinkhole: 1) A sinkpoint. 2) A doline (synonymous: ‘sinkhole’ is chiefly used in the United States).
sinkpoint: The point where a stream sinks underground into a conduit.
sinking stream: A stream which sinks underground at a sinkpoint.
soil piping: The transport of material through pipes in unconsolidated sediments. The pipes are typically round and a few mm to a few cm in diameter
speleothem: Any secondary mineral deposit found in caves formed by chemical precipitation. Speleothems in the area are composed of the mineral calcite, although a few may be formed of aragonite.
spring: A natural outflow of water to the surface.
sump: A cave passage that is permanently filled with water.
vadose: Used to describe cave passages and other features formed above the water table.
Earth Science Inventory and Evaluation of the Eramosa Karst Area of Natural and Scientific Interest.
OMNR, Guelph District, Southcentral Region. vi + 51 p.
View Report Photo's of Eramosa Karst Features
http://friendsoferamosakarst.org/photos/report%20photos/reportphotos.htm
active: Connected to the current hydrologic conditions and actively developing.
bare karst: A karst where bedrock is exposed and soil is thin or absent.
blind valley: A valley in which a stream sinks underground. The valley floor rises abruptly downvalley of the sinkpoint, closing it off topographically.
cave: A natural cavity in the ground which is large enough for human entry. An arbitrary minimum length of 5 m is used here to differentiate caves from rock shelters or overhangs.
clint: Slabs of limestone or dolostone forming a pavement. Individual slabs or clints are separated by grikes (solutionally widened joints) and are parallel to the bedding.
conduit: A dissolution void with a diameter greater than 1 centimetre, in which flow may be turbulent. Conduits typically form tributary patterns and connect a large number of dolines or solutionally enlarged joints to a spring. Most caves (including all those in this study) are large conduits.
doline: A topographically closed depression, commonly circular or oval in plain view. Five types are generally recognised, though most dolines are a combination of more than one type.
Collapse dolines are caused by the collapse of bedrock into an underlying void, and often have steep sides.
Solution dolines are caused by solution of the bedrock and centripetal flow to a central conduit.
Suffosion dolines are caused by the subsidence or down-washing of unconsolidated sediments into a conduit in bedrock.
Subsidence dolines are caused by the subsidence of bedrock above a solution void.
Buried dolines are ancient dolines that have been filled in by unconsolidated sediments such as glacial deposits.
dry valley: A valley which lacks a permanent surface stream.
exsurgence: A spring principally fed by recharge percolating down through the soil. Exsurgences are characterised by a limited range in discharge and chemistry, and typically remain clear after heavy rain.
fluviokarst: A karst area where surface creeks are present.
fossil: No longer active (in describing karst features)
grike: A solutionally enlarged vertical or steeply inclined joint extending for up to a few metres from the surface of the bedrock.
half-blind valley: A valley in which the stream normally sinks underground but there is overflow during very wet weather.
holokarst: A karst area where there is an absence of surface creeks.
interstratal karst Karst developed within a soluble formation that is overlain by low-solubility strata.
karren: Small-scale dissolution features on soluble rocks.
karst: A landscape characterised by solution features such as karren, dolines, caves, sinking streams and springs.
karst window: A depression with a stream flowing across it, caused by collapse of bedrock into a cave passage.
mantled karst: Karst deeply covered by unconsolidated overburden.
overflow sink: A sinkpoint for a creek that is only used under high flows when sinkpoints further upstream are unable to handle all the flow.
paleokarst Karst formed in previous geologic eras, now infilled by later deposits and hydrologically inert.
pavement: A level or gently-inclined bare rock surface in limestone or dolostone with solutionally-enlarged joints which are known as cutters,
Kluftkarren, or grikes. The flat areas between the joints are known as clints. These are usually indented with smaller pits and runnels of solutional origin.
phreatic: Used to describe cave passages and other features formed below the water table. The classic example is a tube-shaped passage.
rejuvenated: A relict or paleokarst feature that is being re-used in a modern hydrologic system.
relict: A geomorphic feature that retains its genetic form but no longer its function; e.g. a dry valley.
resurgence: A spring principally fed by one or more sinking streams. Resurgences are characterised by a wide range in discharge and chemistry, and typically become turbid after heavy rain. runnel: A bedrock groove formed by dissolution.
sinkhole: 1) A sinkpoint. 2) A doline (synonymous: ‘sinkhole’ is chiefly used in the United States).
sinkpoint: The point where a stream sinks underground into a conduit.
sinking stream: A stream which sinks underground at a sinkpoint.
soil piping: The transport of material through pipes in unconsolidated sediments. The pipes are typically round and a few mm to a few cm in diameter
speleothem: Any secondary mineral deposit found in caves formed by chemical precipitation. Speleothems in the area are composed of the mineral calcite, although a few may be formed of aragonite.
spring: A natural outflow of water to the surface.
sump: A cave passage that is permanently filled with water.
vadose: Used to describe cave passages and other features formed above the water table.
MsPage |
Latest page update: made by MsPage
, Jun 2 2009, 12:06 AM EDT
(about this update
About This Update
Edited by MsPage
8 words added view changes - complete history) |
|
Keyword tags:
None
More Info: links to this page
|
There are no threads for this page.
Be the first to start a new thread.
