Karst

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/karst

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary rock types?Limestone and dolomite, with potential for other soluble rocks
2. What is the key dissolution agent?Slightly acidic rainwater (carbonic acid)
3. Why do rivers disappear underground in karst?Because the rocks are soluble, water can carve tunnels and sinkholes that swallow the surface streams. The water then travels through underground channels.
4. How do sinkholes form?Sinkholes, also called dolines, can form when surface water slowly eats away at the rock or when the roof of a hidden cavity collapses. They can be small or very big.

Dissolution: The process by which a solid substance is dissolved into a liquid, forming a solution.
Topography: The arrangement of the natural and artificial physical features of an area.
Conduit: A channel or pipe through which something, especially a liquid or gas, flows.
Paleokarst: Karst features that have been buried by younger sediments or rocks.