karst: Quick Facts

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Photos

Illustration of a cross-section of a limestone cave, showing pointed stalactites hanging from the ceiling, stalagmites rising from the floor, and columns formed where the two meet. The cave features multiple chambers, an underground river, and a labeled limestone layer near the surface, with small human figures for scale.

Jagged limestone karst island with patches of green vegetation rises from the water in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam; a red and white navigation marker stands on the right side of the island.

Dramatic karst mountains rise along the banks of the Li River near Yangshuo in Guangxi province, China, with lush greenery and calm water in the foreground.

Karst peaks near Xi'an

Karstic terrain

Tall, jagged limestone formations rise from the ground in the Stone Forest near Kunming, China, beneath a sky streaked with thin clouds.

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Topics

conduit tower karst pavement karst fluviokarst doline karst cone karst karren dry valley thermokarst sinkhole volcano Meteorite crater tectonic basins and rift valleys continental shelf fault geyser caldera vein strike-slip fault Crater

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cave: Karst topography