Rock features are important traces of the formation and development of karst surface. On various karren their record is especially rich, revealing to us the many factors that in diverse conditions formed the karst surface on various carbonate and other rock.We have tried to present the most characteristic rock features and through them the most important factors and processes in the formation of the karst surface, the methods of studying them, and the most outstanding examples.Forty-nine contributing authors offer a wide spectrum of content and examples of rock forms from many karst regions around the world.The first part of the book offers an orderly-organized survey and description of the most characteristic rock forms and presents the physical and chemical corrosion of rock, biocorrosion, the modeling of rock forms, their detailed morphometrics, and numerous descriptions of individual rock forms. The second part is devoted to various examples of rock forms found around the world from Slovenia through North and South America to Australia and Asia.

Karst Hydrogeology, Geomorphology and Caves A Comprehensive Resource Covering All Aspects of Karst Hydrogeology, Geomorphology, and Caves This essential book covers all physical, chemical, and geological aspects of karst science. It reviews current knowledge on hydrogeology, geomorphology and caves in karst, based on the vast existing literature and investigations carried out by the authors worldwide. The different topics are profusely illustrated with color figures and images from all continents and climates, showing the scientific and aesthetic appeal of karst environments. The book covers in a systematic way the significant features of karst rocks, the chemistry and kinetics of their dissolution, the rate and distribution of karst denudation, the unique hydrogeology of karst terrains, the landforms endemic to karst, the morphology of caves and their diverse sedimentary records, and the multiple processes that lead to the formation of underground voids. Overall, the work reflects the increasing recognition of karst as a fundamental part of the Earth’s dynamic systems, and helps readers understand this multidisciplinary field from a holistic and nuts-and-bolts perspective. Some of the ideas discussed within the book include: How karst is gaining importance for human development, because of its valuable resources (groundwater) and associated environmental problems (impacts and hazards) The enormous technological developments achieved in recent years Recent major breakthroughs in the field and their influence on other scientific disciplines The central role played by karst science for understanding and mitigating global environmental issues (global warming, depletion of resources, human-induced hazards) For all scientists working in karst, and for students and lecturers of karst-related programs, this book serves as a valuable all-in-one source. It is also a valuable resource for professional hydrogeologists, the petroleum industry, environmental geologists, and of course speleologists, the last true geographic explorers in the world.

This book presents the latest advances in karstology by researchers at the ZRC SAZU Karst Research Institute, Slovenia – home of Classical Karst. It features interdisciplinary investigations carried out on the karst surface, subsurface, caves, and associated waters. It covers various topics, such as analysis of karst processes, including the mineralogical and lithological characteristics of sediments and carbonate rocks; structural geological mapping; detecting the old traces of paleokarst; the formation of karst surfaces in a variety of types of rock and conditions; and the evolution of karst, which can aid in dating sediments, and in tracing aquifers using artificial and natural tracers. In addition, the book provides detailed information on the use and development of various research methods, ranging from comprehensive field research, long-term measurements, and laboratory analyses to computer and laboratory modeling. Integrating karst geology, geomorphology, hydrology, ecology, speleobiology, and microbiology research, these methods provide readers with a far deeper understanding of karst terrains.

The changing focus and approach of geomorphic research suggests that the time is opportune for a summary of the state of discipline. The number of peer-reviewed papers published in geomorphic journals has grown steadily for more than two decades and, more importantly, the diversity of authors with respect to geographic location and disciplinary background (geography, geology, ecology, civil engineering, computer science, geographic information science, and others) has expanded dramatically. As more good minds are drawn to geomorphology, and the breadth of the peer-reviewed literature grows, an effective summary of contemporary geomorphic knowledge becomes increasingly difficult. The fourteen volumes of this Treatise on Geomorphology will provide an important reference for users from undergraduate students looking for term paper topics, to graduate students starting a literature review for their thesis work, and professionals seeking a concise summary of a particular topic. Information on the historical development of diverse topics within geomorphology provides context for ongoing research; discussion of research strategies, equipment, and field methods, laboratory experiments, and numerical simulations reflect the multiple approaches to understanding Earth’s surfaces; and summaries of outstanding research questions highlight future challenges and suggest productive new avenues for research. Our future ability to adapt to geomorphic changes in the critical zone very much hinges upon how well landform scientists comprehend the dynamics of Earth’s diverse surfaces. This Treatise on Geomorphology provides a useful synthesis of the state of the discipline, as well as highlighting productive research directions, that Educators and students/researchers will find useful. Geomorphology has advanced greatly in the last 10 years to become a very interdisciplinary field. Undergraduate students looking for term paper topics, to graduate students starting a literature review for their thesis work, and professionals seeking a concise summary of a particular topic will find the answers they need in this broad reference work which has been designed and written to accommodate their diverse backgrounds and levels of understanding Editor-in-Chief, Prof. J. F. Shroder of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, is past president of the QG&G section of the Geological Society of America and present Trustee of the GSA Foundation, while being well respected in the geomorphology research community and having won numerous awards in the field. A host of noted international geomorphologists have contributed state-of-the-art chapters to the work. Readers can be guaranteed that every chapter in this extensive work has been critically reviewed for consistency and accuracy by the World expert Volume Editors and by the Editor-in-Chief himself No other reference work exists in the area of Geomorphology that offers the breadth and depth of information contained in this 14-volume masterpiece. From the foundations and history of geomorphology through to geomorphological innovations and computer modelling, and the past and future states of landform science, no "stone" has been left unturned!

This book provides an overview of covered karst types, covered karst features, functioning of covered karst features, the evolution of covered karst features and the development of covered karst reliefs. The introductory chapters present the characteristics of karst, the investigated areas and the applied methods. The covered karsts are categorized according to the quality and development of the superficial deposit and its geomorphological position and environment. The morphology, development, functioning, sediment development and the transformation of the karst features are presented. The relationship between the covered karst formation and climate is analyzed; including the covered karst formation of the tundra climate, taiga climate, temperate zone climate, subtropical, tropical climate and the high mountains. The manifestation of the human activity on covered karsts is presented.

Carbonate rock coasts are found world-wide, from continental shorelines of the Adriatic Sea of Europe to the Yucatan Peninsula of North America, and on tropical islands from Rodrigues Island in the Indian Ocean, to the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean, to the Bahama Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Such coasts are well known for their unusual and distinctive karst landforms. Karst processes, particularly those associated with coastal landforms, are proving to be surprisingly unique and complex. This volume presents a comprehensive overview of the processes associated with coastal karst development comparing examples from a broad geographical and geomorphological range of island and continental shoreline/paleoshoreline settings, including a review of pseudokarst processes that can compete with and overprint dynamic coastal karst landscapes. As effective management of hydrologic resources grows more complex, coastal caves and karst represent fundamental components in associated coastal aquifers, which in the rock record can also form significant petroleum reservoirs. Audience By providing a clearer understanding of the geological, biological, archaeological and cultural value of coastal caves and karst resources, this volume offers a critical tool to coastal researchers and geoscientists in related fields and to coastal land managers as it illustrates the diversity of coastal karst landforms, the unique processes which formed them, the diversity of resources they harbor and their relationship to coastal zone preservation strategies and the development of sustainable management approaches.

This book presents the latest advances in the field of karst hydrogeology and carbonate reservoirs. These include, but are not limited to: geomorphology of karst, flow and solute transport in karst; innovative metrology; modelling; speleogenesis and geology of carbonate reservoirs; deep reservoir exploration and production; water management and protection in karst environments; contaminant migration and chemical behavior; hydrochemistry and regional aquifer studies. EuroKarst offers a platform for professional exchanges between field practitioners and academic researchers. It is the European biennial conference on the hydrogeology of karst and carbonate reservoirs. It is organized every two years by the Universities of Neuchâtel (Switzerland), Besançon (France), and Malaga (Spain).