Where is karst aquifer?

Likewise, a karst aquifer is an aquifer that occurs within limestone geology, where the limestone (or other easily dissolved rock) has been partially dissolved so that some fractures are enlarged into passages that carry the groundwater flow.

What is a karst conduit?

The feature of karst aquifers that makes them distinct from other aquifers is the presence of conduits, which act as networks of pipes carrying water rapidly through the aquifer.

What is an example of a karst aquifer?

Many karst aquifer systems are connected over large areas and constitute transboundary groundwater resources. For example, the Dinaric Karst System is shared between northeast Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania.

What is the deep karst?

Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves.

Is karst a good aquifer?

Karst areas are characterized by distinctive landforms (like springs, caves, sinkholes) and a unique hydrogeology that results in aquifers that are highly productive but extremely vulnerable to contamination.

How much of the US is karst?

In summary, about 25 percent of the United States is underlain by rocks and sediments of all types having karst or pseudokarst features or a potential for them.

What is the difference between a porous and karst aquifer?

Karst aquifers are different from sedimentary aquifers, where water flows mostly through the gravel and sand grains similar to a sponge. Hydrogeologists use two terms when investigating aquifers—porosity and permeability. Porosity is all the empty pore space inside a rock given in a percent volume.

What kind of problems are associated with karst topography?

In karst terrain, surface waters and groundwaters are closely linked via fractures, sinkholes, and conduits. These close connections mean that pollutants in runoff, such as fertilizers, pesticides, gasoline, and bac- teria, can quickly reach the aquifer with little natural filtration from the soil and vegetation.

What is karst topography example?

[ kärst ] A landscape that is characterized by numerous caves, sinkholes, fissures, and underground streams. Karst topography usually forms in regions of plentiful rainfall where bedrock consists of carbonate-rich rock, such as limestone, gypsum, or dolomite, that is easily dissolved.

Do fish live in the aquifer?

Among vertebrates, only fish and salamanders have successfully colonized subterranean aquatic habitats; they are found typically in highly porous and permeable karstic aquifers (those formed from the dissolution of carbonate rocks such as limestone).

How common is karst?

Some karst areas in the United States are famous, such as the springs of Florida, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, and Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, but in fact about 20 percent of the land surface in the U.S. is classified as karst.

Is karst rare in the US?

Because of the overlying sedimen- tary cover, karst features are rare at the surface. However, these buried carbonate rocks may be vulnerable to groundwater con- tamination, particularly in areas where they are covered by high- permeability sediments.