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Why can poljen be among the few farmable areas in a karst landscape?
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Stalactites and stalagmites in the Queen's Chamber, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, southeastern New Mexico.
Poljen are often the only farmable areas in a karst landscape because of their unique geological composition. While karst terrain is typically characterized by barren, rocky ground and a lack of surface water, a polje features a flat floor covered with soil derived from the insoluble residues of limestone solution.12
These elongated basins are formed by the coalescence of multiple sinkholes. Because the limestone dissolves relatively easily in slightly acidic water, the remaining insoluble components accumulate on the flat floors of these basins, creating a layer of soil suitable for cultivation in an otherwise rocky, inhospitable environment.12