Book contents
- Essentials of Geomorphology
- Reviews
- Essentials of Geomorphology
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction to Geomorphology
- 2 History and Foundations of Geomorphology
- 3 Dating Methods in Geomorphology
- 4 Climate Change Throughout Earth History
- 5 Geomorphology’s Resisting Framework: Minerals, Rocks, and Biota
- 6 Tectonics and Mountain Building
- 7 Landforms on Volcanic and Plutonic Rocks
- 8 Landforms on Horizontal and Weakly Dipping Rocks
- 9 Landforms Developed on Folded Rocks
- 10 Landforms on Faulted Rocks
- 11 Weathering
- 12 Karst and Landforms of Dissolution
- 13 Soils and Paleosols
- 14 Mass Movements and Slope Processes
- 15 Surface Water, Drainage Basins, and Sediment Transport
- 16 Landforms of Fluvial Erosion and Deposition
- 17 Coastal Processes and Landforms
- 18 Glacial Systems
- 19 Glacial Sediments and Landforms
- 20 Periglacial Processes and Landforms
- 21 Eolian Processes, Deposits, Landforms, and Systems
- 22 Biogeomorphology
- 23 Planetary Geomorphology
- Glossary
- References
- Index
- References
12 - Karst and Landforms of Dissolution
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 November 2025
Book contents
- Essentials of Geomorphology
- Reviews
- Essentials of Geomorphology
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction to Geomorphology
- 2 History and Foundations of Geomorphology
- 3 Dating Methods in Geomorphology
- 4 Climate Change Throughout Earth History
- 5 Geomorphology’s Resisting Framework: Minerals, Rocks, and Biota
- 6 Tectonics and Mountain Building
- 7 Landforms on Volcanic and Plutonic Rocks
- 8 Landforms on Horizontal and Weakly Dipping Rocks
- 9 Landforms Developed on Folded Rocks
- 10 Landforms on Faulted Rocks
- 11 Weathering
- 12 Karst and Landforms of Dissolution
- 13 Soils and Paleosols
- 14 Mass Movements and Slope Processes
- 15 Surface Water, Drainage Basins, and Sediment Transport
- 16 Landforms of Fluvial Erosion and Deposition
- 17 Coastal Processes and Landforms
- 18 Glacial Systems
- 19 Glacial Sediments and Landforms
- 20 Periglacial Processes and Landforms
- 21 Eolian Processes, Deposits, Landforms, and Systems
- 22 Biogeomorphology
- 23 Planetary Geomorphology
- Glossary
- References
- Index
- References
Summary
Water, in all its forms, is the most important agent responsible for shaping the landscape. Some water is at the surface in rivers and lakes (surface water), but much of it eventually penetrates underground. Groundwater, present in the pore spaces of soil, regolith, and bedrock, plays a fundamental role in our lives, and (a focus of this chapter) in the dissolution of bedrock, which is perhaps the most important geomorphic effect of groundwater. Because all rocks are at least partially soluble, parts (or all) of them will dissolve and go into solution when exposed to water and its associated acids – the essence of dissolution (Fig. 12.1).
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- Essentials of Geomorphology , pp. 231 - 259Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
References
Further Reading
De Waele, J. and Gutierrez, F. 2022. Karst Hydrogeology, Geomorphology and Caves. Wiley.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ford, D. C. and Williams, P.W. 2007. Karst Hydrogeology and Geomorphology. Wiley.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frumkin, A. (ed.). 2013. Treatise on Geomorphology, vol. 6: Karst Geomorphology. Elsevier.Google Scholar
Gunn, J. (ed.). 2004. Encyclopedia of Caves and Karst Science. Taylor and Francis.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hill, C. A. and Forti, P. 1997. Cave Minerals of the World. National Speleological Society.Google Scholar
Klimchouk, A. B., Ford, D. C., Palmer, A. N., and Dreybrodt, W. (eds.). 2000. Speleogenesis Evolution of Karst Aquifers. National Speleological Society.Google Scholar
White, W. B. 1988. Geomorphology and Hydrology of Karst Terrains. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
White, W. B., Culver, D. C., and Pipan, T. (eds.). 2019. Encyclopedia of Caves. Academic Press.Google Scholar
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