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karst
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karst 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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karst
karst The caves of a karst landscape, Minerve, Hérault, France.

karst

geology
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karst, terrain usually characterized by barren, rocky ground, caves, sinkholes, underground rivers, and the absence of surface streams and lakes. It results from the excavating effects of underground water on massive soluble limestone. The term originally applied to the Karst (or Kras) physiographic region, a limestone area northeast of the Gulf of Trieste in Slovenia, but has been extended to mean all areas with similar features. Karsts are found in widely scattered sections of the...

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